This was a game that most fans feared, going in to this game on the back of three League defeats, we really needed to take all three points to stay up there with the play off pack. Burnley did play the better football there is no doubt about that, it is difficult enough to win a game against opposition under normal circumstances but having to beat the referee as well makes it almost impossible to win any game.

In the first half the Clarets certainly had chances but just couldn't make the breakthrough we were hoping for, there was one in particular from Eagles that stands out, where he volleyed goalwards from the touchline, only for Lonergan to parry it down, questions were asked at half time by the Sky Sports panel as to whether Eagles had meant it as a cross or a shot, Steve Cotterill appeased the panel by saying that OK it was a shot, but he felt deep down that it was really a cross.

After storming the Preston goal at the end of the first half, the Clarets came out at the beginning of the second in the same mood, and continued to press for the lead. Unfortunately Preston took the lead in the 53rd minute with a well taken penalty by Davidson. The decision for the penalty was in my opinion a poor one, after watching the replay time and again I really do believe that Elliott made a real meal of it and did actually start falling to the ground before the Beast had actually touched him. But in the eyes of the ref and the Nobbers fans it was a definite pen and it stood.

Robbie Blake came on for Joey in the 66th minute and on 77 minutes he scored an absolute stunner of a free kick, taken from outside the area in the dead centre of the goal, the ball cleared the wall and curled towards the post and went in off the post near the top corner, an absolute corker, contender for free kick of the season. The Clarets really pushed forward now for the winner, but once again Taylor came up with an astonishing decision by awarding Preston a second penalty on 85 minutes, in his eyes for deliberate handball by Caldwell, again in my opinion he got this totally wrong as it was definitely ball to hand not hand to ball. Caldwell was being wrestled by that big lump Parkin and he was clearly showing the referee in holding both arms outstretched that he was not holding Parkin in any way. Unfortunately refereeTaylor did not see it that way and Mellor scored from the spot even though the Beast seemed to have got to it, the ball rolled underneath his body into the net. A huge disappointment for the travelling faithful, as the game did finish 2-1 to the Nobbers.

Once again we have been undone at Deepdale by some very poor refereeing decisions and dare I say it cheating from the Nobbers players.

Next up Wednesday 21st January, the League Cup semi-final 2nd leg at Turf Moor against Tottenham Hotspur.

Up The Clarets.