Preston North End 1 Rotherham United 2 match report: Poor defending costs the Lilywhites as Ched Evans' goal isn't enough at Deepdale

There were some good signs going forward from the Lilywhites but they were chasing the game after just 17 seconds when PNE right-back Joe Rafferty put through his own goal when trying to block a shot.

The hosts went on to boss the first half with Ched Evans and Tom Barkhuizen denied by good saves from Millers goalkeeper Viktor Johansson - Barkhuizen should really have scored.

On the stroke of half-time, Ben Whiteman's free-kick hit the inside of the post and rolled along the goalline before going out of play.

Rotherham caught PNE put with their second goal 10 minutes into the second half, substitute Ben Wiles left unattended to convert Lewis Wing's cross.

Evans, making his first North End start, pulled a goal back in the 65th minute after challenging Johansson for Ryan Ledson's cross and netting the loose ball with a tidy finish.

But for all their late pressure, they couldn't muster an equaliser. Scott Sinclair did have the ball in the net late on but an offside flag denied him .

North End's starting XI had shown five changes to the side beaten at Sheffield Wednesday.

There were debuts for Liam Lindsay and Anthony Gordon, with Evans handed his first start.

Evans led the attack, with Gordon on the left and the recalled Tom Barkhuizen on the right-wing.

A worse start to the game could not have been imagined as Rotherham took only 17 seconds to take the lead, it totally self-inflicted from a North End point of view.

Wes Harding took possession down the Rotherham right, the referee allowing him to play on after Jayson Molumby slid in with a challenge.

His ball inside found Freddie Ladapo, the striker's shot catching a deflection which didn't seem to be causing any danger.

But Rafferty threw himself in front of it and watched the ball spin past the wrong-footed Daniel Iversen into the net.

Once they had recovered from the shock of conceding, North End played some decent football going forward.

Gordon's free-kick delivered from the right touchline picked out Lindsay's run but at the far post the defender couldn't control and the ball ran out of play.

Molumby drove a shot wide from the edge of the 'D' after Andrew Hughes and Gordon had worked the ball in from the left wing.

The lively Gordon sent a shot curling over the bar after bringing the ball down on the left side of the box and stepping inside on to his right foot.

Two great chances fell PNE's way in the space of a couple of minutes as they pushed for an equaliser.

In the 35th minute Rafferty put over a fine cross on the run which Evans met with a flicked header, Johansson diving superbly to his right to claw away.

From the other side of the pitch soon after, Ledson dropped a fine ball over the top of the Millers defence.

Barkhuizen and Evans both sprang the offside trap, Barkhuizen meeting it and putting his shot too close to Johansson who saved well but shouldn't have been allowed to have a prayer.

Fortune was not on PNE's side in the 45th minute when Evans won a free-kick five yards outside the box.

Whiteman whipped it over the wall and saw the ball hit the inside of the post, roll back along the goalline and out beyond the other post.

The same player drove a first-time shot from just inside the box across wide and inches wide of the far post in North End's first attack of the second half, the ball having been worked into his path from the right channel.

For all PNE's promising play after conceding early and starting the second half reasonably well, they shipped a second goal in the 55th minute.

Rotherham built play well down the left, Ryan Giles' pass finding Wing in space down the side of the box.

Wing had the time to look up and square a pass across the area to find Wiles who drove home a low finish.

Within 10 minutes North End halved the deficit. Ledson played a short corner to Gordon the left, took the return pass and swung over a cross with his right foot.

Evans jumped with Johansson and when the ball dropped, Evans was first to react, shooting home from six yards on the half-turn.

Both sides made triple substitutions after the goal, the game really opening up from there.

North End thought they had equalised in the 83rd minute when substitutes Daniel Johnson and Sinclair combined to good effect.

Johnson threaded a fine pass through the Millers defence for Sinclair to run on to and fire home - but the flag went up for offside against the winger.

PNE: Iversen, Rafferty (Maguire 81), Huntington (van den Berg 72), Lindsay, Hughes, Ledson (Johnson 66), Whiteman, Barkhuizen, Molumby (Potts 66), Gordon (Sinclair 66), Evans. Subs (not used): Gallagher, Riis, Cunningham, Ripley.

Rotherham: Johansson, Ihiekwe, A MacDonald, Robertson, Giles (Olosunde 66), Wing, Barlaser (Wood 90), Lindsay (Wiles 14), Harding, Ladapo (Smith 66), Hirst (Crooks 66). Subs (not used): S MacDonald, Clarke, Jozefzoon, Vickers.

Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey)

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