Wayne’s late pain
WAYNE ROONEY was feeling as sick as a Christmas turkey after 10-man Derby suffered an agonising injury-time defeat.
The Rams had survived for 75 minutes following a red card for Martyn Waghorn and looked set to climb out of the bottom three with a precious point.
But then Preston captain Alan Browne (above) curled home a fine winner in the 96th minute – when only five minutes had been signalled.
It ended Derby’s six-game unbeaten run and the Rams’ caretaker manager was naturally gutted.
“I’m very frustrated,” said Rooney, who believed North End defender Ben Davies should been penalised for a foul seconds before the winner.
“That was our best performance of the season as, with 10 men for so long, we had to defend well and dig in, but we still looked a threat going forward.
“And there was a clear foul on Louie Sibley in the build-up to the goal.” The pattern for the afternoon was set by Waghorn’s moment of madness after 20 minutes.
The ball ran loose in midfield and the Rams forward launched into Browne late and over the ball.
Referee Darren Bond had no hesitation about the red card.
North End had most of the ball after that, yet the visitors looked less likely to score as the match went on, until Browne’s dramatic intervention.
“I didn’t really see a goal coming,” said Preston boss Alex Neil.
“It’s a strange feeling because we have won the game and I’m not as happy as I should be.”
Marshall 7; Byrne 6, Wisdom 6, Clarke 6, Buchanan 6; Bielik 8, Shinnie 6; Waghorn 2, Knight 6, Jozwiak 6 (Sibley 85); Kazim-Richards 6 (Hector-Ingram 90).
Roos, Forsyth, Bird, Ibe, Holmes, Evans, Watson. Rudd 6; Fisher 5 (Stockley 60, 4), Huntington 6, Davies 6, Earl 6; Browne 7, Gallagher 6 (Ledson 69, 3); Barkhuizen 6 (Harrop 83), Johnson 6, Sinclair 6 (Bayliss 69, 4); Maguire 6 (Riis 60, 3). Ripley, Storey, Rafferty, O’Reilly.
Krystian Bielik. Did not deserve to be on the losing side for a disciplined midfield display.
Darren Bond 7. 1 ......... Shots on Target .........4 2 ........Shots off Target .........4 2 ................Corners .................7 11 ..................Fouls.................. 10 1 ................ Offsides .................4 64.6 Passing Success %...78.9 263 .......Total Passes ........ 474 36 ........Possession % ........ 64 49.4 .Territorial Adv % ..50.6