Powerless Preston swept aside

Photo: Pictures: ALAN HOWARTH

MAGIC MOMENT: Baxter celebrates his goal with his ecstatic team-mates.

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

Athletic 3, Preston 1

Fans appreciate super show

BOUNDARY Park hasn’t heard too many recent roars of the kind which greeted Cristian Montano’s excellent second goal.

Preston were blown away by Colombian Montano’s accurately slotted home second half goal, which deservedly doubled Athletic’s lead after a brilliant, sweeping length-of-field move.

Montano’s hips didn’t lie as he celebrated next to the main stand; in truth, he and his team-mates deserved the moment.

Plenty of North End defenders fell by the wayside in the wake of Montano and his teammates.

Later on, Joel Byrom dallied a second too long and Dean Furman signed off before his international duty with South Africa by robbing the ball just outside the penalty area and slotting it between Thorsten Stuckmann’s legs.

They were two very different goals, but together they embodied the combination of desire and talent which has suddenly and completely reenergised the club.

It says plenty that this report has got this far before mentioning the exceptional goal from Athletic’s number 10.

Jose Baxter, who played a big part in the move for his team’s second goal, curled home a terrific 25-yard free-kick to hand his team a first-half lead.

The only thing wrong with Athletic’s super display was conceding a late goal.

Athletic kept the visitors at bay for most of the time, despite starting without injured Jean-Yves Mvoto and later having to cope with James Tarkowski’s early retirement.

Athletic were playing without fear. Baxter’s overhead kick travelled narrowly wide as the second half opened in the same manner as the first, with the home team thoroughly on top.

Furman’s goal, which reduced the game to a canter, was far from the only occasion on which the captain ventured deep into opposition territory.

Keep up this sort of all-round performance and there will be further occasions for celebration this season.






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