Al fails to cash in on Harry Red

ALAN BROWNE blew a great chance to grab the win that Preston need to fully secure their second-tier status.

After Stoke’s Harry Souttar earned an 87th-minute red card for hauling down Browne, who was through on goal, the Irishman hammered the resulting free-kick against the

Potters’ wall – and the last chance was gone. Earlier on, Preston’s Andrew Hughes had hammered his free-kick effort against a post. And Stoke had keeper Adam Davies to thank when he saved a fierce effort from the lively Tom Barkhuizen.

Even so, the point eased Preston’s lingering relegation worries – and a clean sheet came as a massive relief after last week’s 5-0 hammering by Brentford.

Stand-in boss Frankie McAvoy admitted: “I had to lose my rag with them at half-time, and that probably came as a shock to them.

“We were poor in the first half, but after I gave them a blast, we were the dominant team.

I’m disappointed not to come away with the three points, but we have four games left and it’s all to play for.”

Stoke chief Michael O’Neill had few complaints about the red card on defender Souttar, though he added: “It wouldn’t have been given 10 years ago, but by the letter of the law today, the ref was right.

“However, the ref completely missed an earlier, studs-up red card tackle by Brad Potts on Nick Powell, which didn’t help. It’s been a frustrating afternoon. Up to half-time we were excellent, but we needed something to happen and it didn’t.”

STOKE CITY: Davies 7; Smith 7, Chester 6, Souttar 7, Nortington-Davies 7; Mikel 6; Tymon 7 (Baath 89), Powell 6, Clucas 5 (Thompson 75), Fletcher 6 (Vokes 79), Norton 6 (Brown 75).

Unused subs: Gunn, Cousins, Coates, Matondo, Taylor. PRESTON: Iversen 7; van den Berg 6, Storey 6, Hughes 8; Barkhuizen 6, Cunningham 7, Whiteman 7, Ledson 6, Browne 6; Riis Jakobsen 5 (Maguire 76), Evans 7 (Potts 76).

Unused subs: Ripley, Bayliss, Molumby, Huntington, Sinclair, Bodin, Gordon.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Andrew Hughes. Preston defender came close when he hammered an effort against a post.

REFEREE: James Linington 7.