A vital goal.
Sean Maguire scored a stoppage-time winner for Preston North End on Saturday.
With the game goalless in the dying minutes, the former Cork City striker popped up to head home from five-yards out, scoring a priceless goal for his side against Birmingham City at Deepdale.
90+4' GOAAALL! GET IN! #COYW #pnefc 1-0 pic.twitter.com/lNgrNHdyLk
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) March 16, 2019
Maguire’s goal lifted Preston to seventh-place in the Championship, level on points with Aston Villa in sixth-place.
Bristol City and Derby County, who sit below Preston and Villa in the table, both have a game in hand each, but Maguire’s goal means Preston are right in the hunt for a play-off place.
You can watch Maguire’s goal here:
https://twitter.com/ChrisPitcher/status/1106962690142953472
Maguire’s goal will be welcomed by Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy, who named the Preston forward in his squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia.
Ireland last scored a goal in a competitive match last September, when Shaun Williams scored against Wales in a 4-1 defeat in Cardiff, and could badly do with a striker in-form.
Maguire has impressed since joining Preston from Cork City in 2017, scoring 10 goals in 24 games last season. Injuries have disrupted his progress, but he proved again on Saturday that, if he can stay fit, he will score goals.
