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Soccer
Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom left frustrated by late Ipswich leveller
Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom was left with mixed emotions after Jack Clarke converted a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a point for Ipswich in a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.
The visitors had taken the lead through Lewis Gibson’s scrambled effort in the 72nd minute but Town’s leading scorer calmly fired past North End goalkeeper David Cornell to prevent his side from falling to their second home loss of the season.
There was still time for penalty appeals for fouls and handballs in the Preston box but referee John Busby turned them away as North End ended their three-match losing run.
Heckingbottom said: “The result’s a shame but the performance is good, strong.
“I felt for the majority of the game we were comfortable regardless of the players they’ve got, how well coached they are.
“I felt we controlled where they had the ball and felt that after the first five minutes we carried our threat and that threat grew in the game.
“It’s frustrating, a shame, but I don’t think anyone could begrudge us if we’d have got the three points, they would have said really well done, a big performance, but we didn’t manage to do it.
“I enjoyed watching us today, you’re never 100 per cent pleased but I was really pleased with how we performed, how we went about it.
“I expect us to go out and win and it’s a big ask in some games especially when you come away to a club like Ipswich, where they are and what they do.
“But I emphasise the point again that we can and we should expect, I know that we are not going to win every game, to put in performances that gives us the best chance.”
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was disappointed they were not awarded at least another penalty but was pleased with how the team and supporters stuck together.
He said: “I think we should have had another two (penalties).
“I think the second one, the shove on Jack Clarke as he comes in the box and someone comes in and crashes into him from behind, is a clear pen.
“For me the one that comes back to Jack Clarke, he tries to pop it round the corner for Chuba (Akpom) in the box, a midfielder is there with his arm out and moves his arm towards the ball and knocks it away from Chuba and the referee is 10 yards away and staring straight at it.
“I take big, big, big positives in our reaction to going one-nil down and the way we pushed for the equaliser, for me what the players showed out there, what the crowd showed when they stuck together in that adversity.
“I thought the reaction was outstanding.”
