Ryan Lowe disappointed with referee as Preston lose unbeaten start to Birmingham

Posted Sunday, September 04, 2022 by PA

Preston manager Ryan Lowe criticised the officials after his side’s unbeaten run in the Championship came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at home against Birmingham.

Troy Parrott felt he had a strong case for a penalty after half-time when he was pulled down but the referee was not convinced.

The striker then found the back of the net seven minutes later but referee James Bell’s whistle had blown for a foul in the build-up.

And Lowe was unimpressed with the referee’s overall performance on the day.

He said: “It’s a tough job for the officials, I know – I would never want to be an official.

“But it’s important to get things right, I always say to the officials when I go in with the team sheet ‘I just want a bit of consistency’ – and that is for both teams.

“The fact of the matter is that I am disappointed in his performance, but I am also disappointed in my team.”

The hosts had a number of chances to draw level, with striker Emil Riis proving particularly wasteful in front of goal.

But Lowe was reluctant to put any pressure on his side to find the net, despite failing to score at home in the league this season.

He said: “I don’t want to put pressure on the lads, we know we need to find that little bit of quality to score.

“Whether it’s a little bit of nerves, or whether it’s a bit of ‘we haven’t scored yet’, I don’t know.

“But I don’t like to look too much into it, because if you dig deep enough into situations like that, you might never stop.

“All I know is we’re creating chances and it’s just about being in the right place at the right time.”

Maxime Colin put the Midlands side in front after 16 minutes when he headed home Jordan Graham’s cross.

Victory for the Blues was just reward for a valiant defensive effort that ended a run of three consecutive losses in the league.

And Birmingham boss John Eustace praised his side, saying he was proud of their efforts.

He said: “I think we battled well against Norwich, against Watford, against Luton, and we did not get our just rewards.

“So today, to keep a clean sheet against a truly excellent team who had not conceded a goal yet as well this season is really a credit to the group, and I am very, very proud.”

Game management proved crucial in the latter stages of the game.

And Eustace was delighted with the way his side saw the game out, praising the togetherness of his players.

He said: “I think the performances this season have been good – we had a bad one against Rotherham, but we have been competitive in every other game so far, and today we got our rewards.

“I have said from day one, the only way we go forward is together – obviously there is lots of things said about the group, about the club, which you understand.

“But people have to realise that this club, this team is starting again – we have been through a lot over the last two or three years.”