Preston North End fans saying same thing as Paul Heckingbottom reacts to 'wasteful' Blackburn Rovers loss | OneFootball

The Lilywhites were defeated 2-1 in Friday's Lancashire derby at Deepdale.

Preston North End supporters have been reacting to the verdict of Paul Heckingbottom following Friday night's 2-1 defeat at Deepdale to local rivals, Blackburn Rovers.

This particular Lancashire derby was a chance for the Lilywhites to continue building on the positive streak of form they had begun prior to the final international break of the calendar year, having gone unbeaten in their previous four Championship encounters - winning three of those against Sheffield United, Southampton and Swansea City respectively.

However, they were punished by Valerien Ismael's side in front of the Sky Sports cameras, with Rovers continuing to cause issues for a plethora of sides expected to be vying for promotion to the Premier League, as well as sides who, like North End, have defied the expectation levels placed on them at the beginning of the campaign.

Australian international, Lewis Miller, gave Blackburn the lead on the stroke of half-time with a powerful header that flew past Daniel Iversen, albeit the visitors' initial lead lasted less than two minutes as Tottenham Hotspur loanee, Alfie Devine, netted his third goal of what is proving to be a fruitful temporary stint away from the North London side.

Yet despite their strong run of form at Deepdale in recent times, Heckingbottom's side were unable to turn the game on its head and potentially rise as high as second ahead of Middlesbrough and Stoke City's respective Saturday afternoon fixtures, with Andri Gudjohnsen also heading home a tidy free-kick from Ryoya Morishita with 25 minutes remaining.

Despite being able to largely transform North End's fortunes after narrowly escaping relegation to League One at the end of last season and a major squad reset in the summer, it was no surprise that Heckingbottom cut a frustrated figure in his post-match media duties.

Indeed, Blackburn are just the second side to take maximum points away from Deepdale this term, following on from Birmingham City's 1-0 victory on October 21st.

The 48-year-old's feelings can certainly be backed up by the statistics, which showcase a higher xG and shot count for his side in comparison to Rovers, who used their aerial threat to full advantage in an attacking sense, as well as withstanding the vast proportion of pressure which came their way.

Speaking to official club media after the game, Heckingbottom said: "It's a very similar game to many we've had – tight. The margins are fine so we're really disappointed because we've given two set play goals away which has killed us.

“We've been wasteful. The first half an hour we were good, and we had the moments and the opportunities but we couldn't capitalise. We got ourselves back in the game because they had a bright spell before they scored.

“It's going to be tough if you miss your chances when you're on top, and then you give two really poor goals away from set plays, which are always going to be poor from our point of view, then it makes it a difficult game," the North End boss explained.

Reacting to his quotes, one Lilywhites supporter believes such circumstances have been a regular occurrence in this part of Lancashire thus far, despite the club's relatively strong start to the season.

Another questioned his starting lineup which, in turn, lead to a "flat" performance against a side who still remain within the bottom half despite taking all three points.

One supporter cited the absences of Everton loan ace, Harrison Armstrong and his midfield partner, Ali McCann, as a key reason behind what unfolded.

Whilst somewhat in agreement with Heckingbottom, one Lilywhites fan clearly thinks the ex-Sheffield United boss should look at his own tactics as the key factor behind a lack of cutting edge.

However, one supporter held a contrary verdict, stating that Preston should have emerged as 3-1 victors based on their showing across 90-plus minutes.

Preston North End immediately have the chance to right the wrongs of Blackburn Rovers loss

Friday's defeat will have been a slight dagger for Heckingbottom, his players and supporters, particularly as they missed out on local bragging rights.

However, North End do immediately have the chance to eradicate the negative aspects of their performance against Blackburn, with there being two further encounters in quick succession.

They are also both away from Lancashire, as they travel down to Watford on Tuesday night for a 7:45PM kick-off, before taking on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough next Saturday at 3PM.