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Tim Mercer’s PNE Fans’ Panel verdict: Erabi was a glimmer of light amongst the gloom A bad start to the season after a short journey down the M61 for this derby day clash against ancient ‘Lancashire’ foes Bolton. To say North End weren’t at the races would be a severe understatement, especially in an appalling first half that left this fan and those around me feeling battered and bruised. Not a single one of the 11 players on the field of play looked like they had ever competed in a Championship game of football before. All made basic errors and contrived to lose the ball as much as possible and draw yellow cards. Three in that first half! Within 25 minutes we were deservedly 2-0 down, the first following a weak parry by Daniel Iversen into the path of a Trotters’ player who easily guided the ball home. The second saw Pol Valentin, who had a torrid game at right-back, being unable to track and keep close enough to his man to stop a curled shot beyond Iversen. There was a moment on a counter-attack when Preston had three men on an overload in the left-hand side of the Bolton penalty area. Somehow they contrived to make a mess of it and the moment ended with no shot on target. This was painful stuff, with the whistle for half-time coming as a blessed relief. Things did improve from the restart, with some possession and more decisive forward play. This prevented the hosts dominating and getting forward as much, but they seemed to be quite settled and happy to play out a 2-0 victory. Paul Heckingbottom tried to up the visitors’ game a notch more with a triple substitution to give new signings Léo Leroy and Jusef Erabi their league debuts, and with Valentin relieved of his miserable afternoon by Odel Offiah. The change did continue the second-half improvement, and Milutin Osmajic should have reduced the deficit when put through by Alfie Devine with only the keeper to beat. A player who normally enjoys this kind of situation, he inexplicably appeared to lose some confidence and tried to play the ball across to Erabi for a tap-in. Unfortunately he got the pass all wrong, and the ball never reached its intended target and the chance was gone. It was not until the last five minutes of normal time that the Lilywhites finally scored with a lovely header from Erabi following an assist from substitute Andrija Vukčević on the left flank. A glimmer of light in the gloom of this dreadful display. Having seen Erabi score his first North End goal last week in the League Cup, this was also a classic striker’s take and gives hope that we have finally found the kind of forward we have been crying out for now for many seasons. A final bit of irony for this terrible performance was two near and undeserved equalisers from headed attempts by Liam Lindsay. The last of these in the closing seconds of added time was a real sitter and, if converted, would have been a form of robbery at the death.