Preston North End 1-1 Birmingham City: Scott Hogan header earns Blues late draw
- Published
- comments
Scott Hogan is Birmingham's leading scorer this season with seven goals
Scott Hogan's late equaliser rescued a point for Birmingham to end Preston boss Ryan Lowe's winning league start.
The hosts took a deserved lead when Alan Browne drilled a low shot which Patrick Bauer got a touch to on its way into the bottom corner.
Preston missed a host of chances to seal a third straight league win for Lowe, with Blues goalkeeper Neil Etheridge twice denying Ched Evans a second.
And Hogan met a Ryan Woods cross at the near post to head in an equaliser just a few moments after coming off the bench.
It was just a third league game for Lowe since his appointment on 7 December after a string of Covid-related postponements, and his side were good value for their half-time lead.
Andrew Hughes nodded Ben Whiteman's cross just wide, while Emil Riis headed a Greg Cunningham cross straight at Etheridge and then saw another blocked before the breakthrough.
Blues had their best chances either side of the break as Gary Gardner volleyed over when found unmarked by Jeremie Bela's corner, before Jordan James' goalbound strike was deflected behind after he was teed up by Norwich loanee Onel Hernandez.
The Lilywhites threatened on the break as the visitors pushed for an equaliser and grabbed a point when Hogan struck with only City's fourth goal in their past 10 away trips.
Both sides went close in stoppage-time, Etheridge keeping out Bauer's header before Gardener steered a shot wide from six yards.
Preston drop to 15th, while Birmingham are without a win in six matches and remain 18th.
Preston boss Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"We are 60% of where I want us to be in terms of on a Saturday afternoon or Tuesday evening.
"Throughout the week, it's been fantastic with the build-up and the sessions we've been doing, but we've got to bring that to the party on a Saturday afternoon.
"We've had 15 penalty box entries in their half and seven shots maybe and seven shots blocked so you can see we're doing it.
"But it's that little clinical edge, that little more fine quality (is needed), and if you get that you'll score more goals."
Birmingham manager Lee Bowyer told BBC Radio WM:
"I have to give the players full credit for keeping going and pushing to the end like that. We could have nicked it in the end.
"We dug deep and kept pushing and fighting. I'll keep fighting and pushing these players and they'll keep fighting for the club and that's what they've just done.
"I thought from the second half we looked the most likely to score. They hit us on the break a couple of times which was obviously going to happen because we we pushing for the equaliser.
"I'm really pleased because Scotty [Hogan] has had a tough week with some personal things going on away from the game so I'm glad he got the goal."