Hogan the Brum hero
NEIL GOULDING
RYAN LOWE could not understand how his dominant Preston side failed to finish off Birmingham.
Patrick Bauer put North End on course for a third league win in a row under their new manager.
But Blues substitute Scott Hogan had other ideas and bagged a late headed leveller. And the visitors nearly snatched a win when fellow sub Ryan Woods saw his effort cleared off the line.
“I’m disappointed, we didn’t have that killerinstinct,” admitted Lowe.
“We just needed that second goal to finish it off.
“We had opportunities to finish the game off – and we didn’t take them.
“We’re probably 60 per cent of where we want to be at the minute, but we’ve got seven points out of nine so far since I’ve come in.
“It’s good, but we want to be better. If you can’t finish those chances off, you’ve got to defend at the other end of the pitch.
“But their equaliser was a sloppy goal to concede. However, I can’t question the effort and attitude of the lads. And I think the supporters can see what we’re trying to do.”
German centre-back Bauer was the Lilywhites’ unlikely goalscorer just after the half-hour, his heels deflecting Alan Browne’s shot beyond keeper Neil Etheridge.
But despite controlling the first half and creating a string of fine chances, the Lancashire hosts were hit with a real sucker-punch when Hogan pounced late on for his seventh league goal of the campaign.
Wing-back Andrew Hughes spurned a glorious chance, heading wide from Ben Whiteman’s cross, while striker Emil Riis and Greg Cunningham wasted decent opportunities.
Etheridge twice thwarted striker Ched Evans with superb saves.
And they were made to pay when replacements Woods and Hogan combined to give the Blues their hard-fought equaliser.
Woods’ pinpoint cross was perfectly directed beyond Leicester City loan keeper Daniel Iversen by Hogan, before himself having a free-kick cleared off the line at the death.
“We showed great character to get something from the game,” said Blues boss Lee Bowyer.
“We dug deep and kept pushing and fighting.
“We kept going until the end and got our rewards.
“And we could have nicked it in the end.”