Preston North End 1-1 QPR: Brad Potts scores on 250th appearance before freak Thierry Small own goal
It finished all square at Deepdale
Preston North End drew 1-1 with Queens Park Rangers at Deepdale on Easter Monday.
After a flat 45 minutes for both sides, Brad Potts scored moments into the second half of his 250th club appearance with a low, gliding effort past Joe Walsh. QPR pushed for a equaliser and found it in the most freakish circumstances as Thierry Small sliced a clearance into his own net after coming on as a substitute.
Milutin Osmajic’s close-range swing was blocked by a QPR man inside 60 seconds. Harvey Vale sent in a bobbling cross into PNE’s 12 yard area with just over 10 minutes gone but it evaded booth Richard Kone and Rayan Kolli.
North End peppered the QPR box on 18 minutes: Brad Potts pumped the ball forward and it stayed up there, eventually falling to Alfie Devine after a Lewis Dobbin back heel; his effort was deflected behind for a corner, the result of which was a comfortable save for Walsh after a Dobbin strike and a tame Jordan Storey header.
Paul Smyth dragged a shot wide from just inside the box on 26 minutes. The Rs tried again a little over half an hour in but Jonathan Varane’s thumping effort flew wide.
PNE captain Ben Whiteman found space to shoot with one minute to go until the break, but his effort sailed well over the crossbar before Amadou Mbengue’s ambitious pile-driver forced a near-post save from Daniel Iversen.
North End took the lead almost immediately after the restart. Possession was retrieved quickly in the midfield with Alfie Devine making a superb run off the left and spraying the ball out to Potts who finished ever so calmly into the bottom far corner.
QPR searched for a quick equaliser and almost got one but Smyth’s effort crashed against the post before Kolli’s well-hit strike from close quarters whistled past the back stick.
The visitors turned up the pressure during a far more open second half. Daniel Bennie just got the connection wrong with his header and it was safely gathered by Iversen who saved well from a speculative Richard Kone effort a couple of minutes later.
QPR found the equaliser in bizarre fashion. Bennie sent in a low cross from the left and substitute Small’s clearance took a bobble and landed into the net.
Bennie was at the centre of another Rs move moments later as he met Vale’s cross but Iversen pulled off a great save above his head.
North End almost gifted QPR the winner in the final seconds. Moran was sloppy in possession and the away side pounced, as Kone slipped it in to Bennie but Iversen saved from his low effort.
Attendance: 15,046. PNE starting XI: Iversen; Storey, Gibson, Hughes, Offiah (Valentin 46’), Vukcevic (Small 66’), Whiteman (c), Devine, Potts (Moran 66’), Dobbin (Jebbison 77’), Osmajic. Unused subs: Cornell; Lindsay, Nelson, Lukovic, Smith