John Smith’s Preston North End Fans’ Panel verdict: Fine margins between a draw and defeat

Before the game I would have expected at least a draw from this one, especially after such a fine performance at Reading in midweek.

Playing in our lucky green strip and bidding for a fifth straight victory in these colours, we seemed to get sucked in to the home side’s direct style of play a style we seem to struggle playing against which resulted in us creating very little in terms of goalscoring opportunities in the first half.

After we conceded another poorly defended goal in the opening stages of the second, manager Alex Neil made a double substitution replacing the isolated Emil Riis and Scott Sinclair with Jayden Stockley and Tom Barkhuizen.

However for me this was too much of a like-for-like move which illustrated a lack of a Plan B to the over-cautious 4-2 -3 -1 formation I felt gave too much respect to opponents I think will be fighting relegation this season.

We did come strong in the last 20 minutes.

After Ryan Ledson – one of our shining lights of the season so far – had equalised we looked the side most likely to go on and win the match.

However we got caught out with a sucker punch four minutes from time as we pushed upfield looking for a winner.

I think Ben Pearson is such a huge miss for us in the middle of the park with this not being the first time we have been caught out like this in his absence. It is hard to put your finger on why in some games on the road this season it’s been like watching Brazil, in terms of our passing of the ball which has gained us points at places such as Reading and Brentford, 
but on Saturday we were 
undone by a San Marino-type of pass which led to Rotherham’s winner.

Even after this though Stockley was unlucky not to earn a point moments later in yet another game to be decided by fine margins.