Preston North End Frustrated After Dominating Yet Drawing Against Millwall In Championship Match

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Paul Heckingbottom expressed disappointment after Preston North End drew 1-1 with Millwall in the Championship on Tuesday. Mihailo Ivanovic surprised Freddie Woodman with a free-kick goal in the 40th minute at Deepdale. However, Preston responded quickly after halftime when Emil Riis scored a volley into the bottom-left corner.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden missed two chances in the second half, while Will Keane and Milutin Osmajic also failed to capitalise on opportunities to secure a win against their former manager, Alex Neil. Despite these missed chances, Heckingbottom felt his team deserved more from the game.

"We were certainly the dominant team but it's a positive point, having gone behind to a team who defend really well," said Heckingbottom. "We were [the ones pushing]. We did more than enough. I bet we've more than doubled their shots. I bet we've probably more than quadrupled their touches in penalty box."

Preston had 16 shots compared to Millwall's nine and made 35 touches in the opposition box, while Millwall managed only seven. The expected goals metric also favoured Preston, with 1.42 compared to Millwall's 0.33, highlighting their attacking intent throughout the match.

Heckingbottom questioned the decision leading to Ivanovic's free-kick goal, expressing frustration over what he perceived as an incorrect foul call. "It's not a free-kick that they score from, that's a frustration," he added.

Maintaining Composure

Despite conceding first, Heckingbottom praised his team's patience and composure during the game. He noted that even when Millwall had possession, it allowed Preston to exploit spaces once they regained control of the ball.

The draw leaves both teams tied on 42 points, with Millwall ahead of Preston by goal difference in 14th place. Heckingbottom remains optimistic about his team's performance and believes they were consistently more threatening throughout the match.