PRESTON 2 LEEDS UTD 4
Coca-Cola Championship
Deepdale, Saturday, November 6, 2004

Blackwell made no secret of his wish for reasonable patience as he got to grips with a club relegated from the Premier League midway through 2004, but a sequence of poor results was weighing heavily on the club as they made their way to Deepdale.

A 1-0 loss to Brighton had been no less than an embarrassment and Burnley's 2-1 victory at Elland Road was achieved despite Leeds scoring inside 60 seconds, but United drew breath and responded against Preston North End with their most convincing and compelling performance of the season.

The Championship fixture was packed with intrigue on account of the protracted deal which had taken David Healy from Deepdale to Leeds a week earlier, earning Preston a sizeable fee but robbing them of a Northern Ireland international and a reliable goalscorer, something Blackwell craved.

The cost of that departure was promptly demonstrated as Healy scored twice to open his account for United and take hold of a match which his new club were well on the way to winning after Brian Deane opened the scoring in the 13th minute.

On top of the capture of Healy, Blackwell had moved to sign John Oster on loan from Sunderland, adding badly-needed width to a squad which was often accused of turning too readily to long-ball tactics.

"The frustration for me is that I'm trying to build a team from nothing and I haven't had the right players to put in the right holes," Blackwell said.

"But when we brought in Oster as a wide man, all of a sudden we were able to keep the ball and pass it with some aplomb. Healy's an intelligent man who can play the game at a high level. I haven't gone out and signed just anybody.

"People talk about systems and ask why we don't keep the ball but everybody is brand new to the football club. When you're under pressure and not too sure what you're doing, you tend to knock it long."

Healy received a standing ovation from the crowd at Deepdale before kick-off, but it was Deane who moved to silence the stadium with a stooping header after 12 minutes, the finishing touch to a corner from Jermaine Wright.

Two minutes later, Danny Pugh's free-kick caused havoc in Preston's box and Healy was perfectly placed to drive the rebound past goalkeeper Gavin Ward. From a standing start, United were playing with confidence that Blackwell had not seen before.

The situation worsened for Preston when Healy produced another lethal strike in the final minute of the first half, and North End's manager, Billy Davies, unsurprisingly made two substitutions at the interval.

Richard Cresswell – a player who would later follow Healy in making the move from Preston to Leeds – gave the hosts a sliver of hope with a goal nine minutes into the second half, but Simon Walton converted a lay-off from Deane to make the closing stages an exhibition, even though Cresswell was able to score again on 83 minutes.

"The signs are that this side is a decent side who just need time," Blackwell said. "There wasn't a player who didn't do what I asked them to do."

UNITED: Sullivan, Kelly, Carlisle, Butler, Pugh, Gregan, Wright, Walton, Healy, Deane, Oster (Richardson 85). Subs (not used): Carson, Lennon, Joachim, Kilgallon.