Paul Heckingbottom was desperate for Preston to win marathon penalty shoot-out

Posted Wednesday, September 18, 2024 by PA

Paul Heckingbottom says he felt more determined to win with every passing penalty as Preston edged out Fulham 16-15 on spot-kicks in a remarkable Carabao Cup clash at Deepdale.

After a 1-1 draw in normal time, Timothy Castagne ballooned over and Ryan Ledson sent Steven Benda the wrong way to the delight of the North End faithful.

Heckingbottom said: “As it wore on, eight-all, nine-all, it made me more determined to win it because of the effort and commitment put in to get to penalties.

“We were the team, certainly in injury time, trying to get the game to penalties.

“I’ve never been involved in a shoot-out like that. I’ve been told it’s the longest in the competition as well. It was a great atmosphere. We’ll look forward to the draw but we have to park it, we have other things to focus on now.”

On the game itself, Heckingbottom added: “They had their moments. Freddie (Woodman) was very good again but the team in front of him protected him really well again. Three times in the first half it was the last-ditch defending but we had our moments as well.

“Second half, we had less and less as the game wore on. Fulham, they were great on the ball and caused us problems, but we were set up to deal with it.”

Ledson, who is not known for his goalscoring antics, had made it two goals in two cup matches this season with a sublime volley in the 35th minute.

On his first start for the Cottagers, Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson converted a centre from former Tottenham player Ryan Sessegnon to equalise just after the hour mark.

“I think he is improving,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said of Sessegnon.

“He is getting better. It was a very good game from him. From the first minute until the last minute, he kept composure. Always up and down (to the pitch). Strong defensively and, of course, we know he is capable of being decisive with quality.

“It was not just the goal. Most of the chances we created came from his decisions in attack and of course have to be pleased for him.

“He’s going to be a really useful player for us. He already is but he’s going to be better and better. It’s important for him to get the right confidence because we all know the qualities that he has.”

On the game, Silva added: “From the first minute, we took control of the game and I think we did create enough chances to score more goals. That is the situation.”