Calvin Ramsay made his first senior competitive appearance in over a year on Tuesday, though Preston manager Ryan Lowe was left “angry” with the result.
Due to a serious knee injury and further setbacks more recently, heading into Tuesday night Ramsay had not played a senior fixture since November 2022.
His last outing was his first and only start for Liverpool so far, against Derby in the Carabao Cup, with a loan switch to Preston designed to make up for lost time.
It has not panned out that way so far, but Ramsay took his biggest step yet as he came off the bench for 45 minutes in Preston’s 4-0 loss to Middlesbrough.
He had previously only featured in pre-season and then a Lancashire Senior Cup clash with Accrington Stanley at the start of the month.
Though it was a quiet debut, with 28 touches of the ball per FotMob, he was tidy in possession as he completed 18 of his 19 attempted passes, though he was beaten as Alex Bangura made it 4-0 late on.
The Lancashire Evening Post‘s George Hodgson gave the 20-year-old a 5.5 rating – the joint-highest of any player in a miserable team display – explaining that he “showed some sharp touches” with his “debut ticked off.”
Ramsay can now look to continue his progress and potentially start in the coming weeks, with Lowe warning changes could come in a furious post-match reaction.
“Angry, disappointed,” was the manager’s verdict, warning that first-half performances like theirs “will keep you mid-table.”
Lowe added: “I will give them the benefit of the doubt, but I’ve told them they’ve got one more chance to get it right.
“Otherwise we’ll flip it round, change the team and if we have to make changes in January then we will, because we don’t just want to be a mediocre team and mediocre club.”
Next up for Preston is the visit of QPR on Friday night, with the London side currently 22nd in the Championship.
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, there was another goal for Tyler Morton as Hull thrashed Rotherham 4-1 to leapfrog Preston into sixth.
It followed a strike for England U21s a week previous and then the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Swansea on Saturday, making it three goals in eight days for Morton.
Fabio Carvalho thought he had scored a potential winner for RB Leipzig as he finished well while at 2-2 against Man City in the Champions League, only to be ruled out for offside.
Luca Stephenson came off the bench as Barrow made it seven wins in a row and 11 unbeaten – in a run stretching back to October 10 – with a 2-0 victory over Walsall.
The Cumbrian side are now third in League Two, level on points with Hollywood-backed Wrexham, as they mount a convincing bid for promotion.
Just below them in the fourth tier are Crewe, also home to a Liverpool loanee in Harvey Davies, who played the full 90 minutes in goal in a 1-1 draw with Sutton United.
Luke Hewitson was also in action for local side Stalybridge Celtic, with the 19-year-old unfortunately conceding four in a 4-0 Cheshire Senior Cup loss to Altrincham.
Nat Phillips was unused again as Celtic lost 2-0 to Lazio to ensure they finish bottom of their Champions League group, while James Balagizi and James Norris were left out for Wigan and Tranmere entirely.
Liverpool Loan Watch Roundup
- Tyler Morton (Hull) – 83 mins vs. Rotherham, goal
- Calvin Ramsay (Preston) – 45 mins vs. Middlesbrough
- Fabio Carvalho (RB Leipzig) – 16 mins vs. Man City
- Luca Stephenson (Barrow) – 15 mins vs. Walsall
- Harvey Davies (Crewe) – 90 mins vs. Sutton United
- Luke Hewitson (Stalybridge Celtic) – 90 mins vs. Altrincham
Unused: Nat Phillips, James Norris, James Balagizi
Injured: Adam Lewis
Not in action: Sepp van den Berg, Owen Beck, Dominic Corness, Billy Koumetio, Jakub Ojrzynski, Anderson Arroyo
To play Thursday: Rhys Williams
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