Preston North End 0-0 Nottingham Forest: Lilywhites held to ninth home draw of the season

Cameron Archer has scored four times since his loan move from Aston Villa, but missed a big chance against Forest

Preston failed to turn their dominance into victory as they were held to a goalless draw by fellow Championship play-off hopefuls Nottingham Forest.

The hosts were on top for much of the game, but Forest went closest with a rare first-half effort when James Garner slid a first-time shot straight at goalkeeper Daniel Iversen.

Cameron Archer missed a golden chance for Preston just before the hour when he slid a shot past the post when put clean through by Brad Potts.

Archer's cross then deflected off a Forest defender and dropped inches past the far post, but North End had to settle for a ninth home draw of the season at Deepdale.

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Forest started brightly and had big penalty appeals waved away for a trip on Keinan Davis, but playing their first game in 10 days following Friday's postponement at Bournemouth, they looked off the pace.

Preston pinned the visitors back for much of the first half, without testing stand-in keeper Ethan Horvath, in for the suspended Brice Samba.

A fine Brad Potts ball across the six-yard box narrowly evaded Archer and Alan Browne, while Andrew Hughes' downward header from Ben Whiteman's corner was deflected narrowly over the bar by Forest full-back Djed Spence.

Aston Villa loanee Archer, who went into the game with four goals in five starts, was denied by Horvath after being put through by Daniel Johnson, and Horvath held an effort from Potts as the chances mounted up.

But Steve Cooper's side, who have lost just four of their past 25 league games, almost secured an unlikely eighth away win of the campaign late on when Spence burst into the area, but his teasing ball across the six-yard box found no takers.

Preston remain 12th after their sixth draw in their last 11 matches, while Forest stay ninth, four points off the play-off places.

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

I was delighted with the performance, but would have been more delighted with the three points. It wasn't for the lack of trying. The lads were fantastic.

"Forest have been ripping teams apart. Their front line are fantastic players and we nullified their strengths so I'm really pleased. Just the last little bit is a goal, but it wasn't for the lack of trying.

"A lot of the credit has to go to them because when you have a performance like that (3-2 defeat to Reading) it can knock you, and the good thing was it didn't knock us - we bounced back from it and we go again."

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper told BBC Radio Nottingham:

"My personal view is that we should have got a penalty, but we don't tend to get those decisions this season.

"We never really got going in the second half - they piled the pressure in and had two decent chances. We could have nicked it when Djed got down the side, but we turned the ball over too much.

"I'm satisfied with a point, looking at the game and how it went. We've kept a clean sheet, we stood strong and defended a lot of corners really well.

"We know we can play better, we know individuals can play better so it might end up being a good point."