Memory match: Lilywhites v Rotherham

Preston and Rotherham saw plenty of one another in the 2013/14 campaign, meeting four times.
Joe Garner falls to the floor after heading Preston into the lead against Rotherham at Deepdale in February 2014Joe Garner falls to the floor after heading Preston into the lead against Rotherham at Deepdale in February 2014
Joe Garner falls to the floor after heading Preston into the lead against Rotherham at Deepdale in February 2014

Three of the games ended in draws, the fourth seeing the Millers get the better of North End to book a trip to Wembley in the League One play-off final.

The Deepdale clash on February 25, 2014, swung one way and then the other before ending in a 3-3 draw.

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Rotherham were 2-0 up by the ninth minute before PNE wrestled back control of the game to lead 3-2.

It was an advantage they held until the 88th minute when the visitors – managed by Steve Evans – snatched an equaliser.

The manner in which the game started was an indicator of what was to come.

Joe Garner had forced Millers keeper Adam Collin into an early save before the visitors went ahead in the ninth minute.

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James Tavernier slid a pass down the right-hand side of the box to find 
skipper Lee Frecklington.

He spun off his marker, took a touch before rifling a shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

It got worse for North End three minutes later when Neil Kilkenny conceded a free-kick down Rotherham’s right wing.

Ben Pringle delivered it left-footed into the box, the ball touching off the head of Tom Clarke and flying past Declan Rudd.

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Going two down so early knocked the home side out of their rhythm and it took them a while to get 
going. Craig Davies, the striker on loan from Bolton, began looking threatening up front for North End, while Bailey Wright put a volley too high.

The deficit was halved in the 37th minute, a neat flick from Paul Gallagher playing Davies clear in the box.

Davies kept his cool to tuck a low shot past Collin as he came off his line.

Kilkenny and Keith Keane put shots wide as North End enjoyed a good spell leading up to the interval.

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After half-time, Clarke put a header too high after he had met a Gallagher corner.

Preston equalised after an hour, Keane’s pass finding Gallagher in the ‘D’ outside the box.

Gallagher controlled and spun sharply, curling a low shot past Collin into the far corner of the net.

The momentum was with the home side and within five minutes, PNE were in front.

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A free-kick from Gallagher was cleared out of the box as far as Chris Humphrey on the right wing.

Humphrey lifted the ball back into the middle were Garner jumped to head home his 18th goal of the season.

Preston could have gone on to stretch their lead.

Davies barged his way down the left-hand side of the box and saw a low shot come back off the keeper’s legs.

Josh Brownhill, on as a substitute for Gallagher, saw a shot go wide.

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In the closing stages, PNE grew nervous as Rotherham pushed for an equaliser.

Clarke threw himself in the way of a Frecklington shot, then Millers substitute Nicky Adams lifted a shot too high.

North End could not hang on to their slender advantage unfortunately, with the 
visitors equalising with two minutes left.

Collin’s long kick forward fell into the PNE box with the ball pinging around.

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Two shots were blocked in quick succession before the ball fell to Frecklington.

He poked a shot over the line from close range, Scott Laird appearing to get in the way of Rudd as the ball went over the line.