Preston North End threw away a commanding two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with 10-man Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. The result leaves the Lilywhites second from bottom in the Championship with just three points from their opening seven games.
Johnny Kenny, the Irish striker signed from Celtic, gave caretaker boss Jason Euell a dream start. He latched onto a long ball from Stan Mills after just 64 seconds, capitalising on a hesitation from QPR captain Jimmy Dunne to slot past Pierce Charles. Kenny doubled the advantage in the 26th minute, putting Preston in a seemingly unassailable position.
The hosts' task appeared to become impossible when Dennis Cirkin was shown a red card in the 15th minute. But Preston failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage. Andrew Hughes headed wide from a promising position, and Callum Lang saw a header crash off the crossbar from an Andrija Vukcevic cross.
QPR fightback
Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stephan rallied his side at the break, and they emerged with renewed purpose. Kwame Poku pulled a goal back in the 66th minute, setting up a tense finale. Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen made a key point-blank save to deny Alfie Lloyd, who had earlier hit the woodwork.
Despite the pressure, Preston looked set to hold on for a vital away win. But in the 90th minute, Paul Smyth found space to fire home a dramatic equaliser, snatching two points from Preston's grasp.
Caretaker manager Jason Euell did not hide his frustration after the final whistle. "Disappointing, really," he said. "I feel that when you're 2-0 up and you put yourself in that type of position, and playing against 10 men, you want to be coming out of that with more than a point." He praised his team's first-half display but was critical of defensive lapses after the interval.
His opposite number, Julien Stephan, credited the home supporters for inspiring the comeback. "In the second half we didn't play with one less player, (it felt like) we played with 11 on the pitch because the fans were unbelievable," he said.
The draw extends Preston's winless run and deepens their early-season relegation worries. They remain in 23rd place, having scored only six goals while conceding thirteen, a poor defensive record reflected in the team's overall stats. Callum Lang is the team's top scorer this season with three goals, but he was unable to add to his tally in West London. The squad continues to cope without the injured Ali McCann and Brad Potts, with the full list of absentees available on our injuries page.
Further reading: Sky Sports Football
