Keane tips Preston after 1-0 defeat
Saturday, 30 December 2006 22:19Roy Keane backed Preston to be in the Premiership next season after watching them win 1-0 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The highly-rated and much-coveted David Nugent struck in the 36th minute to give Preston the double over the Black Cats, who suffered further injury problems to leave Keane struggling for numbers ahead of the reopening of the transfer window next week.
Keane lost skipper Steve Caldwell after just 16 minutes with a thigh injury which is expected to keep the central defender out of action for a few weeks and then revealed full-back Nyron Nosworthy has a hamstring problem, and saw enough to tip North End for a top-flight place.
The Corkman said: 'Preston have a great chance of winning promotion. They are well organised and they make it very hard for you and I think David Nugent will score goals in the Premiership.
'But we are down to the bare bones. However, we just have to get on with it and my job is to pick a winning team.
'The injuries today prove we have to add to the squad. We will get some lads back next week who have been out on loan and I hope to bring a few new ones in during the transfer window.
'I am disappointed that we didn't get anything out of the game but we conceded a sloppy goal and got punished for it. We should have got something but it wasn't to be.'
Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested, with the first goal always likely to prove decisive and when Nugent grabbed his eighth goal of the season, the Black Cats were left facing an uphill task.
Strike partner Brett Ormerod hooked the ball across the face of goal from the byline for Nugent to head home from close range in the 36th minute.
Sunderland improved in the second half with the introduction of Stephen Elliott for an out-of-sorts Dwight Yorke, but there was a distinct lack of quality to break down a resolute Preston defence.
