Callum Lang delivered an early double‑strike, guiding Preston to a 2-1 triumph over their local adversaries Blackburn at Deepdale. The 27‑year‑old opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a poacher’s finish inside the box, then doubled the lead in the 28th minute by heading in a precise cross. Early in the second half, Stanley Mills unintentionally reduced the deficit when he turned a cross into his own net on only his second appearance for the club, but Preston’s defence held firm to preserve the win, marking the team’s first three points of the season.
In the preceding fixture against Bristol City, Preston had fallen behind quickly, forcing goalkeeper Daniel Iversen into two crucial saves within the opening five minutes. He first scrambled back to tip a looping corner from Yuri Ribeiro onto the line, then leapt to deny Todd Cantwell a one‑on‑one finish after the former Norwich player latched onto a deflected pass from Adam Forshaw. After those early scares, the Deepdale faithful rose to their feet in celebration when Lang, making a well‑timed run to the back post, met Delano Burgzorg’s expertly placed delivery and slotted the ball past Blackburn keeper Aynsley Pears into the corner of the net.
Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray would have been left perplexed by his side’s early lag, as the visitors continued to press. Ryoya Morishita provided Blackburn’s best chance in the 23rd minute, linking smoothly with Andri Gudjohnsen before his shot from the edge of the area glanced over the bar after a slight deflection. The home side then extended their lead in the simplest fashion: Lang connected with Jordan Thompson’s inswinging free‑kick, and Pears, reacting quickly, nudged the ball past the 28‑year‑old goalkeeper to make it 2‑0. Later in the match, Preston missed a golden opportunity when Leo Leroy delivered a poorly weighted through‑ball to Burgzorg as Blackburn’s defence looked vulnerable.
On the opposite end, Morishita missed a clear chance after another promising link‑up with Gudjohnsen. Blackburn started the second half with the same attacking intent they displayed in the first period.
Their persistence paid off in the 51st minute when Ryan Alebiosu’s cross was inadvertently deflected off Lewis Gibson, and Mills, under pressure from Dapo Afolayan, turned the ball into his own net, reducing the deficit to 2‑1. Preston could have restored a two‑goal cushion around the hour mark when Leroy found Burgzorg with a chance that left only Pears to beat; however, the goalkeeper managed to get a glove on the Surinamese striker’s shot. Substitutions added fresh energy: Jayden Fevrier entered for Blackburn and, just two minutes later, struck a powerful effort that rattled the bar from the edge of the box. The game retained a “basketball‑like” rhythm in the 72nd minute when Kristi Montgomery made a brave block on Alfie Devine’s low shot, which had been set up by Harry Clarke’s cross.
Iversen continued to be busy, turning away Cantwell’s curling effort and then denying Fevrier shortly thereafter, ensuring Preston maintained their advantage until the final whistle. Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom praised Lang’s performance, noting: "[Lang] worked really hard during the closed season. He trained all summer, but he’s been careful and sensible with his preseason and early‑season schedule. We want to build resilience in his body, and more importantly, when he’s on the pitch we want him to be able to go flat‑out like he did today.
He attacks the box brilliantly, and his two goals are a perfect illustration of that. The best thing for us was the spirit and determination to see the game out." Blackburn’s boss Tony Mowbray reflected on the defeat: "If you drop below the standards you set for yourself, you can’t expect to win. We came in believing we would win and we conceded two soft goals, which is uncharacteristic for us. We had just been to Lincoln three days ago and felt we chased a thousand crosses, heading them all out.
We never reached the level needed to claim a second goal. In the end, I think we dominated possession and pace for most of the game, but Preston’s half was where the decisive moments happened. They threatened us and scored two goals – that’s the game they wanted. From what I saw, they played a little better than losing five games on a bounce, so good luck to them." The match also featured a reminder for fans to use the Chrome browser for an optimal video‑player experience, and promotional notes encouraging viewers to watch free Championship highlights and EFL games on mobile devices.
Additionally, a Super 6 competition was highlighted, offering participants a chance to win £250,000 at no cost.