Burke on target as Preston overpower Cobh at the Cross

Cobh Ramblers 0 Preston North End 5

David Ludzik

There was to be no goalscoring return to Turner’s Cross for Sean Maguire but former Shamrock Rovers man Graham Burke did find the net as Championship side Preston strolled to a 5-0 victory over Cobh Ramblers in last night’s friendly.

Alex Neil’s squad has a distinctly Irish feel to it these days and Maguire started for the Deepdale side on his return to Turner’s Cross, with another former Cork City player Alan Browne also in the starting XI.

New signing Burke and former City and Dundalk man Daryl Horgan came on for the last half hour as Neil played one team for the opening 60 minutes and made 11 changes on the hour mark.

Maguire was denied by the outrushing Adam Mylod in the fourth minute as Preston started brightly.

However, Mylod was picking the ball out of his net within a minute when Tommy Barkhuizen cut in from the left and curled a right footed shot home from inside the box.

Barkhuizen then got the second in the 17th minute, again cutting in from the left and curling another delightful effort home off Mylod’s left hand post.

Chris Hull and Stephen Kenny went close for Ramblers before captain Tom Clarke powered home a header from Billy Bodin’s cross to make it 3-0.

Barkhuizen grabbed his hat-trick in fortuitous fashion on the stroke of half-time when he charged down keeper Mylod’s clearance and the ball ended up in the net.

Preston took their foot off the gas in the second half but Burke did show a touch of class when he thumped home a superb free-kick from 20 yards to round off the scoring eight minutes from time.

COBH RAMBLERS: A Mylod (Hunt 45 (Sadys 78)), Fleming, O’Riordan, McSweeney, Taylor (Stephen O’Connor 78), Christopher (McCarthy 45), Shane O’Connor (Leonard 45 (Kabia 76)), Hurley (Crowley 78), I Mylod, Kenny (Fernandes 54), Hull (Cronin 69).

PRESTON (first 60 mins): Rudd, Woods, Clarke, Storey, Hughes, Bodin, Gallagher, Ledson, Barkhuizen, Browne, Maguire.

PRESTON (last 30 mins): Maxwell, Fisher, Huntington, Davies, Johnston, Horgan, Burke, Pearson, Robinson, Harrop, Moult.

Referee: A Buttimer (Cork).