Preston and Blackburn share spoils in controversial goalless draw

Sam Greenwood and Owen Beck were both sent off as Preston and Blackburn drew 0-0 in a feisty Championship Lancashire derby.

Greenwood, on loan from Leeds, floored Lewis Baker with a reckless two-footed lunge and referee Matthew Donohue had little choice but to hand out a 42nd-minute red card.

Paul Heckingbottom’s men were a man down for the majority of the second half, but Beck, who had been excellent for Rovers, lashed out at substitute Duane Holmes in the 89th minute to add some late drama to a relatively uninspiring affair.

The controversy is set to rumble on after Beck accused Preston’s Milutin Osmajic of biting him in the aftermath of that incident, with the Montenegrin seeing yellow.

Deepdale was rocking in anticipation of this one, with Preston coming off the back of three successive home wins and Blackburn punching above their weight near the top of the table.

There were some early signs of the drama to come as Hayden Carter was given a seventh-minute booking for a late challenge on Ryan Hedges and Ben Whiteman also saw yellow for a foul on Tyrhys Dolan just before the half-hour mark.

It was, however, a scrappy first half between two teams who have generally enjoyed success this season on turnovers.

Fans had to wait until the 36th minute before the first shot in anger was released and, even then, Baker was crowded out by an array of Preston bodies and his strike was blocked almost straight after impact.

Nonetheless, it was a moment that seemed to spark John Eustace’s team into life and they nearly took the lead just a few minutes later as Hedges tested Freddie Woodman with a fierce drive from outside the box and Dolan rattled a post with his effort on the follow-up.

Tempers them boiled over with the Greenwood dismissal, which inadvertently provided the hosts with a shot of impetus.

In first-half stoppage time, Aynsley Pears did well to tip over Brad Potts’ fierce strike from an acute angle and, from the resulting corner, was on hand again to claw Andrew Hughes’ header to safety.

Baker was replaced by Makhtar Gueye during the interval in a statement of intent from the visitors and the substitute’s movement in attack immediately started to cause Preston problems.

There was still life in the 10-man hosts, though, and Whiteman’s cross-shot from just outside the box kept Pears on his toes just before the hour mark.

Rovers still held a threat but they were finding it difficult to break down the Preston rearguard, with Woodman relatively untested.

But Beck’s late dismissal made Preston believe again and Pears was forced into two smart stoppage-time saves, first keeping out Whiteman from distance and then dropping low at his near post to deny Potts.