We, like you presumably, didn’t get to see Daryl Horgan’s first Preston start in full.
We were dependent on good ol’ Gillette Soccer Saturday to feed us information on how the former Dundalk playmaker was faring against high-flying Brighton in the Championship this weekend.
Horgan played a starring role, in front of a keen Roy Keane, as Preston recorded a 2-0 win and he received a standing ovation as he made his way from the Deepdale pitch in the dying moments, making way for Tommy Spurr.
The 24-year-old Galway man set up Preston’s second, which was finished by Callum Robinson shortly after half-time, with an assist that the usually on-the-ball host, Jeff Stelling, described as “a long ball.”
“A long ball!”
If you’d just heard Stelling’s analysis of the set-up, you’d be excused for believing that it was no more than a hopeful punt up the pitch… A clearing of Horgan’s lines that just so happened to fall at Robinson’s feet.
But then we saw the pass in all it’s deft glory and saw how it deserved so much more than the dismissive “long ball” description.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c18AMlrRaI
Daryl Horgan assist for #pnefc today. What a ball, Scholes-esque. pic.twitter.com/LqtiemI5Xa
— Cian Carroll (@CianByNature) January 14, 2017
Perhaps Stelling just caught a peripheral glimpse at the perfectly weighted, scooped ball that split two defenders and bounced directly into the path of his teammate.
It was spectacular!
Horgan’s new manager Simon Grayson was certainly impressed by the Irishman’s involvement and, in particular, by the so-called “long ball.”
“When you see the pass from Daryl [for the second goal], it was a left footed pass and a great ball into Callum’s stride,” Grayson told Preston’s official website.
“Callum did well to get the wrong side of the defender and full credit to him; a lot of other players might well have gone down under the pressure, got the free kick and maybe got the player sent off, but he stayed up and it was great to see the ball hit the back of the net, because it is nice to get that comfort – if you can call it that – of a two goal lead.
“I was very impressed with Daryl. I had no hesitation putting him into the team today given how he has trained and how he played last week for us.”
