Preston North End were left to rue a 96th minute equaliser in Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw with Southampton.
Here are our talking points from the Deepdale clash.
1. Ryan’s decisions prove right
The PNE manager’s recent team selections and substitutions had come in for some questioning, but Ryan Lowe’s calls paid off on Wednesday night. Liam Millar and Alan Browne both came back into the team and were two of the strongest performers over the 90 minutes, while Milutin Osmajic - thrown on at half time - scored the equaliser and then assisted Brad Potts three minutes later. It was a solid, committed team performance and one deserving of all three points.
2. Shape change sparks improvement
Lowe has stuck by his wing-back system for almost two years now and it’s worth noting that North End have had success using it. But, it sure was refreshing to see PNE throw caution to the wind somewhat and go more toe-to-toe with Southampton in a 4-2-3-1 shape. There were times when North End got bodies behind the ball and sat in, but there were plenty of instances when Preston hunted the ball and pressed high up the pitch. North End are always at their best when the team’s intensity is through the roof and that really rocked Southampton in the second half. The system allowed Millar to get higher up the pitch and Duane Holmes was more than handy on the opposite flank, with Brad Potts bombing on in support, from right back.
3. Costly mistakes from the man in the middle
Judging by social media during and after the game, Jeremy Simpson is not a particularly popular man among the PNE faithful. The referee did not have a good night at Deepdale - missing a stonewall penalty for the home side towards the end of the first half, when Kyle Walker-Peters blocked Will Keane’s goal-bound shot, on the goal line, with his right hand. Footage shows Simpson had a fantastic view of that incident, but a huge decision went against North End. Decisions during the game did not help Simpson’s cause either, with confusing free-kicks awarded over the course of the 90 minutes - leaving players and fans frustrated.
4. Milutin makes the difference
Mads Frokjaer had not done a great deal wrong in the first half, but PNE were not getting the ball into his feet often enough for Lowe’s liking and he wanted someone to run in behind the Saints back line. Osmajic was introduced and by the 55th minute, that decision was vindicated. There feels so much more to come from the Montenegrin yet, with him still settling into his new life, league and club. His volley to equalise was a combination of brute force and majestic technique, with the assist for Potts a few minutes later a lovely swivelled, controlled pass. North End just need to be patient with him, as he looks to go from strength-to-strength.