Charlie Raglan's own goal earns Preston a hard-fought Carabao Cup win at Barrow
It was tough luck on debutant Winterbottom, who produced a series of fine saves to keep the Cumbrians on level terms.
But it was far from a one-sided contest as Andy Whing's side looked to shake off two opening fourth-tier defeats.
North End goalkeeper Jack Walton produced a vital stop to deny Connor Mahoney, moments before Raglan's 66th-minute mistake.
Walton was beaten when Mahoney tried his lucky from close range, while the midfielder screwed a shot wide at the end of the opening half.
Tyler Walker also put the ball in the net but referee Ross Joyce ruled the striker had kicked it out of Walton's hands.
North End, whose only previous visit to Holker Street resulted in a 1971 League Cup victory, created plenty of chances to ensure a wider margin of victory.
But Preston-born Winterbottom and poor finishing prevented a second goal.
The Bluebirds almost forced penalties as former North End midfielder Tom Barkhuizen struck the woodwork in the 89th minute but the visitors held on.
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Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
New signings, Hearts tactics, the stutter at St Mirren and what comes next
Premier Sports Cup exit in Paisley was tough for the Edinburgh club to take Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Call it a reality check, a defeat by the narrowest of margins, or just a plain old bad day at the office. Regardless of your perspective, Hearts' Premier Sports Cup exit at St Mirren on Saturday was a stutter in a flow of victories under Derek McInnes' stewardship. Six wins from six preceded the trip to Paisley, but losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw hit hard. Tynecastle management had designs on ending the club's long wait to lift the League Cup. Instead, a 63-year delay will extend to 64 years by the time next season's tournament comes round. There are various reasons behind this year's ousting at the last-16 stage, not to mention plenty frustration at how the 120 minutes panned out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Several issues arose during the first half of the regulation 90 minutes with Hearts in a 3-4-3 formation after starting both Premiership games against Aberdeen and Dundee United in a 3-5-2 system. New signings Pierre Landry Kabore and Tomas Magnusson made their first starts in maroon, while fellow summer recruit Alexandros Kyziridis made only his second. All three newcomers toiled for different reasons and were replaced at half-time as McInnes made a triple substitution. Kabore lined up on the right of the visitors' front three, with Kyziridis on the left and Lawrence Shankland the central striker. Magnusson partnered Cammy Devlin in midfield. As the game settled, it was clear St Mirren's aggression, physicality and high press were unsettling their guests. Energy, desire and sheer strength are non-negotiables against any Stephen Robinson team, and Hearts looked off the pace. Saints set up in their familiar 3-5-2 and took command of the central area, where the imposing triumvirate of Killian Phillips, Keanu Baccus and captain Mark O'Hara enjoyed both a physical and numerical advantage over Devlin and Magnusson. Hearts midfielder Oisin McEntee would have helped combat that problem at 6ft 3in tall, but he was shunted to right wing-back for this fixture. The Irishman was asked to step into midfield when Hearts had possession, however out of possession he was out wide and St Mirren therefore dominated the middle of the pitch. There is no doubt McEntee is more effective in central midfield, witness Hearts' opening Premiership victories against Aberdeen and Dundee United. He was badly missed in there at the weekend with Magnusson caught on the ball several times and appearing to lack sharpness in a frenetic Scottish Cup tie. The Icelander was cautioned after five minutes and struggled thereafter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kabore lacked nothing in appetite as he put himself about up and down the right side. Blootering the St Mirren goalkeeper Shamal George in a 17th-minute aerial challenge illustrated his determination to make an impact. He was booked in first-half stoppage-time and replaced in the dressing-room minutes later. Kyziridis also struggled to get into the game having been given little space to breathe by a combination of Jayden Richardson and Marcus Fraser on the right side of St Mirren's defence. McInnes identified the need for change, but Alex Gogic's volley from a free-kick routine caught Hearts out to give the hosts a 1-0 half-time advantage. Levelling the scoreline was a challenge against Robinson's well-drilled rearguard, and the Tynecastle side toiled to find a way through. They switched to 4-4-2 when winger Alan Forrest replaced centre-back Craig Halkett on 74 minutes and scored four minutes later. McEntee - now playing as a orthodox right-back - met Harry Milne's corner with a powerful back-post header. For the third game in succession, Hearts looked more comfortable in that 4-4-2 shape and scored whilst using it. The theme of starting with a three-man defence and flipping to a back four in the second half was present in many of their seven competitive matches this term. They won the first six but this time St Mirren held firm. Hearts pushed forward for the remainder of the game and throughout extra-time, but Robinson's side resisted and eventually won 5-4 on penalties. SPFL Premiership fixtures resume as Motherwell visit Edinburgh So what comes next when Motherwell visit Tynecastle on league business this Saturday? McEntee back in midfield would seem likely, and there is an argument for starting in a 4-4-2 formation if it permits more attacking threat. McInnes likes 4-4-2 but is, understandably, concerned about his team being outnumbered in central midfield against opponents who deploy three players in that area. The Hearts head coach also likes two strikers up front. He certainly got no joy from using three in Paisley, so a 4-3-3 experiment would seem unlikely. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Recent signings like Kabore and Magnusson will need more time to acclimatise to Scottish football. Kabore, the Burkina Faso internationalist, may be more effective as a central striker than a winger. That may become clearer in time. For now, Hearts remain a work in progress three months since appointing McInnes from Kilmarnock. They weren't supposed to be the finished article, the transfer window is still open, and nine new signings are at varying stages in terms of fitness and familiarity with the Scottish game. Defeat on penalties at St Mirren is hugely disappointing for Hearts, but not an outright disaster in terms of the direction the team is heading in. Had Saturday's match been a league game, then a 1-1 draw at the end of 90 minutes would not have been viewed as a wholly unacceptable result for a team still gelling together after nine new signings. There are still tweaks and adjustments to be made, and there is no doubt McInnes' team will be stronger when the Scottish Cup campaign begins in mid-January. Between now and then, league prowess will be monitored closely in the absence of any European or cup adventures. Hearts and minds will therefore be focused on one issue only in the weeks and months ahead. If Saturday was a jolt, there is plenty time to use it positively and continue the recent improvement. READ MORE: Baningime wants more responsibility READ MORE: Candid reaction from McInnes
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Rangers' injury 'concern' revealed as Nicolas Raskin rumours and Jayden Meghoma status addressed
Nigerian hitman is 'touch and go' for Champions League clash with Club Brugge Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers manager Russell Martin has revealed Cyriel Dessers is a major doubt to feature in the club's biggest game of the season so far as the Ibrox side prepare to face Club Brugge in a Champions League play-off first leg in Glasgow. It had been hoped that the striker, who hurt his ankle in last week's defeat to Viktoria Plzen, would recover in time to face the Belgians in the first match of a two-legged shootout to reach the Champions League on Tuesday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As much as £40 million is estimated to be riding on the tie. Martin all but confirmed after Saturday's League Cup win over Alloa Athletic that Hamza Igamane is not a contender to start due to lack of fitness. It leaves Brazilian striker Danilo, who has yet to score this season, as the likeliest option to lead the line against Brugge as Rangers seek to establish an advantage to take to Belgium next week. Cyriel Dessers picked up an injury for Rangers last week against Viktoria Plzen. | SNS Group 'Big Cyriel is probably the only concern,' Martin said. 'He'll be touch and go. He's responded really well to treatment. It was nowhere near as bad as we first feared. So if it's not tomorrow, we expect him to be back for the weekend (v St Mirren) and next week.' Martin expressed his hope that new loan signing Jayden Meghoma from Brentford will be eligible to play and so the left-back could feature. 'I think he's going to be registered in time for tomorrow's match,' he said. 'We hope so anyway, so we'll have to wait and see. But yeah, that's the hope, that he can be in the squad. He trained today and yesterday so we'll see if he's ready to go.' The manager is also confident that Nico Raskin is in the right frame of mind to play, with the midfielder the subject of more rumours about his future. There has been a suggestion that he had asked to leave the club but Martin denied this and stressed the Belgian is returning to top form. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Raskin rumours addressed 'I think he'll get better and better,' he said. 'The only reason he wasn't in the squad on Saturday was for a rest, but he's trained really well. I think he's going to be a big player for us. 'I said that from the beginning. I've also said it's been a difficult summer for him. But really, the last few weeks, I've loved the energy that Nico's brought. He is going to be really important for us. He will play tomorrow night and he'll be a good player for us.' On the specific issue of Raskin's future, Martin added: 'No, he's been really good. We analysed his clips, me and him together, from the game against Plzen last Tuesday. So, no, I've not heard anything (about him asking to leave). Not at all. He's been brilliant. I'm pretty sure Kevin (Thelwell, sporting director) and Patrick (Stewart, chief executive) would have told me if we'd heard that sooner.' Russell Martin speaks to the press ahead of Rangers v Club Brugge. | SNS Group It's unusual that Rangers face such a crucial European tie against a team they played only as recently as last month. The Belgian side are making a quick return to Ibrox having shared four goals with Rangers in a friendly near the start of July in Martin's first match as manager. He said only a limited amount could be taken from that meeting. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Brugge have since won two of their first three league games, losing the other, and made it past Red Bull Salzburg in the previous Champions League qualifying round. Their head coach Nicky Hayen was manager of Haverfordwest County in the Cymru League in Wales while Martin was in charge of Swansea. 'Both teams look very different already,' said Martin, with reference to the 2-2 friendly draw, when Rangers came back from being 2-0 down at half-time. 'There's a few patterns we definitely looked at over the last few days that have been consistent in their games moving forward.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Hearts will 'bounce back' from 'surprising' League Cup exit
Former Celtic and Kilmarnock striker Cillian Sheridan was "surprised" to see Hearts knocked out of the League Cup. Investor Tony Bloom made it clear that success for Hearts this season is silverware and, at the very least, upsetting the old firm dominance of the Scottish after losing on penalties to St Mirren on Saturday, the opportunity for a trophy is getting slimmer. Sheridan felt the performance against Stephen Robinson's side was not that of a typical Derek McInnes team."Yeah I am surprised at the level of performance," he told the BBC's Scottish Football podcast."Probably not a typical Derek McInnes team performance. It definitely would have been a game that they really fancied."Even hearing the way Derek McInnes was talking before the game about players coming to win trophies there and win silverware, I think that kind of was planted in the players' heads. "He's probably come in to win as well and he would have seen that as a chance. So that'll be big disappointment for the loss Sheridan thinks Hearts can still achieve success, and certainly doesn't feel this result should cause panic yet."I'd fancy Derek's teams usually to bounce back from performances like that," he added."He's a good man manager, motivator. He'll get them up again for their next game."Also, I think you have to give St Mirren their credit. You cant forget how good and hard to play against they are."It's not like they've got knocked out to a lower league team or a team lower down the table. They've been put out by a good hard-to-beat St Mirren team".
