Swansea City continued their recent resurgence with a battling 0-0 draw against Preston North End, securing a second consecutive clean sheet under caretaker boss Alan Sheehan.
In a tightly contested encounter, clear-cut chances were scarce, but the Swans had their moments. Liam Cullen, Lewis O’Brien, and Jisung Eom all went close for the visitors, while goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was called into action to deny Brad Potts, Milutin Osmajic, and Sam Greenwood.
Preston, unbeaten at home since early November, applied pressure in spells, but Swansea stood firm, demonstrating the kind of resilience that has been lacking in recent months.
Sheehan kept faith with the starting XI that earned victory over Blackburn Rovers, with the only change coming on the bench as Joe Allen returned in place of Josh Ginnelly.
With back-to-back clean sheets, Swansea’s defensive solidity will be an encouraging sign as they look to distance themselves further from the relegation places.
The Swans return to action on Saturday, when Middlesbrough are the visitors to the Swansea.com stadium.
Team Line-ups
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango (captain), Harry Darling, Josh Tymon; Lewis O’Brien (Ollie Cooper 87), Gonçalo Franco; Ronald, Liam Cullen (Jay Fulton 76), Myles Peart-Harris (Jisung Eom 40); Žan Vipotnik (Florian Bianchini 76).
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Joe Allen, Cyrus Christie, Kyle Naughton, Hannes Delcroix.
Preston North End: Freddie Woodman, Liam Lindsay, Will Keane (Emil Riis 60), Ali McCann (captain) (Andrew Hughes 69), Robbie Brady (Jayden Meghoma 60), Ryan Ledson (Ryan Porteous 60), Lewis Gibson, Sam Greenwood, Milutin Osmajic, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Brad Potts.
Unused Substitutes: Dai Cornell, Ched Evans, Stefan Thordarson, Patrick Bauer, Theo Carroll.
Referee: Stephen Martin
Attendance: 12,838 including 216 Swansea City fans.
Post-Match Reaction from Alan Sheehan
Caretaker boss Alan Sheehan lauded Swansea City’s grit and determination as they battled to a hard-earned draw against Preston North End at Deepdale.
On a challenging pitch, the Swans struggled to find their usual fluency in possession but showed defensive resilience to ensure they left with a deserved point.
“It was a difficult pitch, although in the first 20 minutes I thought we started on the front foot, and then their keeper went down and it just changed the momentum of the game and it became a bit scrappy.
“They had chances, and so did we, but overall I felt it was a solid defensive display and we were always going to need that.
“We showed a different side to us, they are a physical team, so it was a really hard-fought point.
“It was a difficult game, and it was about showing that grit and determination to keep a clean sheet and come away with a hard-earned draw.
“We have a lot to improve on, of course, but overall we are happy with back-to-back clean sheets and a good point away from home.”
Here is the full post-match interview:
Match Highlights
Watch extended highlights of the Swans draw with Preston at Deepdale:
Feature Image Credit: Swansea City Football Club