Gutted that we did not grasp play-off chance - Preston supporter John Smith disappointed with 1-1 draw against Forest

Last weekend I believed that our play off hopes were virtually dead in the water following the goalless draw at Huddersfield.
Patrick Bauer heads towards goalPatrick Bauer heads towards goal
Patrick Bauer heads towards goal

However, in the unpredictable Championship, a superb midweek win coupled with some favourable results elsewhere meant that a win against Forest would put us back into the last play-off spot with three matches left to play of the strangest season I have ever known in living memory.

In normal circumstances a home draw against a team placed fourth in the table would not have been too gut wrenching but Saturday handed us a window of opportunity and the fact we did not grasp it left me feeling like a frustrated angler who had just seen a huge fish wriggle off the hook of his rod just as he was reeling it in.

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We gave ourselves another hill to climb when Ben Pearson conceded a needless penalty in the games opening minutes.

Pearson is my choice for player of the season just ahead of Ben Davies and Patrick Bauer but it is rash moments like these which I think to our long term advantage have delayed his inevitable progression to becoming a Premier League player.

We came back from this early setback equalising 10 minutes later with a well-worked goal finished off from close range by Jayden Stockley – a player I was pleased the manager chose to start following his midweek goal against Sheffield Wednesday.

As a traditionalist,I’m a fan of the old fashioned type of centre forward and I think that although he is a developing player he has been unlucky not to have played more of a role this season

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After the goal we were always looking the side more likely to score with Forest content to put their bodies behind the ball and attack on the counter although Declan Rudd was rarely troubled.

At the other end we had several chances but just could not get the break needed to gain a vital win in what I thought overall was generally a good performance.