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Preston Fans Verdict: Joao Penalty Miss Squanders Three Points

How the fans reacted to the key talking points to come from Sunday lunchtime’s stalemate at Deepdale.

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Well, that’s frustrating isn’t it? Sunday was a huge chance go level on points with Swansea City and Watford in second place, but it was a chance that the Royals squandered mainly down to a missed penalty from star man Lucas Joao in the 83rd minute.

We can’t be too harsh on Joao considering just how good he’s been all season (and trust me he will continue to win us points in our push for the play-offs) but it’s clear for all to see that if Joao scores that penalty, we win the game.

On the whole though, the general consensus among the fans was that it was still both a good point and performance. Let’s be honest, in this crazy league you can never be too disappointed with a clean sheet and a point away from home, but this one still feels like a loss.

Generally, the players have been good at turning disappointments into positives, and I'm sure Joao will do just that. What’s done is done and we can’t undo it, and Joao will continue to be one of the best strikers in the league, no doubt about that.

Here’s how the fans reacted on Twitter after the game...

Joao’s frustration

You'll all know that sometimes as fans you just have a feeling, and for some reason - don’t ask me why - but when Joao stepped up to take the penalty I just had a feeling that he’d miss. And he did.

I think it’s because how he had carried himself for most of the game, which was very negatively. He started getting very frustrated as soon as things started going against him - something Pauno alluded to after the game - and we haven’t been used to that from Joao this season.

He will learn from this and he will score a lot more goals for us too. But he can't let his frustrations get the better of him or else he'll continue to miss chances like the penalty. The fans certainly noticed Joao’s mood...

Positives to take

As Pauno said after the game, it feels like a loss rather than a draw - but he'll also make sure the team look at the positives too, of which there were a few.

The only team that was ever going to score in that second half was us; the defence were superb again, and we managed to come away with another clean sheet and the unbeaten run continues. All it does is make Friday night the biggest game of the season.

McIntyre was a stand out again in my opinion as he continues to fill in for Liam Moore more than adequately and, as I said before, it’s hard to be too disappointed with a draw and a clean sheet away from home in the Championship.

The fans looked at the bright side on twitter after the game, albeit rather reluctantly...

Conclusion

What’s done is done, Joao can't go back in time and score the penalty. We just have to turn all our attentions to Friday night as Bournemouth come to the Mad Stad. Quite simply, it’s the biggest game of the season so far. Win it and the confidence comes back in the click of a finger.

We’re still in and amongst it and I have full faith that the players, particularly Joao, will bounce back with confidence.

Onwards and upwards.

URZ