Mick Harford refused to blame referee Mr Kettle for awarding Preston North End a contentious first half spot-kick at Deepdale on Tuesday night.

The R's Caretaker Manager adopted a refreshing approach when discussing the controversial 35th minute incident, which saw the man in the middle appear to initially wave away the appeals for a penalty after the ball hit Martin Cranie's hand, only to eventually point to the spot on the advice of his assistant.

Speaking about the incident, Harford said: "The ref said no and the linesman gave it.

"You get those decisions from time to time, but I'm not one to harp on about them.

"That's football and you've just got to get on with it. Thankfully, Campy produced a great save and we dig deep and deserved the point."

Preston gaffer Paul Simpson was less than complimentary of his sides' poor record from the spot this season though, adding: "If you get penalties you have to score them and we didn't.

"It's something we need to address because that's three we've missed this season and you can't afford to do that because you have got to be ruthless."