Manager Graham Westley felt that his side’s strong second half performance warranted at least a replay.
The Lilywhites dominated possession and put the Millwall backline under long periods of pressure in the second half, but were kept at bay by a man of the match performance from Lions goalkeeper David Forde.
The Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper made a superb late save to prevent Graham Cummins from taking the tie back to Deepdale and after the game the gaffer felt his side a return to Lancashire through this and a strong first half shout for a penalty.
“We are obviously going to go away disappointed with one or two of the decisions, particularly the John Mousinho penalty decision in the first half which would have been a great tonic for us.
“It was a sloppy goal for us to concede, one that I guess with the number of changes in our back four we were susceptible too.
“It was a situation that an established and well organised back four wouldn’t concede but we have conceded the goal.
“In the second half we took the game to Millwall and we created numerous moments and opportunities.
“I never like looking back on games and talking about misfortune or luck but on a different day we could have easily had a bit more rub of the green with one or two of the chances or the blocks and come away with a replay.
“John [Mousinho] has done well to get the ball down, put it in his path, get his body across line of the ball. Whether or not the player was meant to make contact the fourth official said to me you have to consider whether he meant to make contact.
“He is six yards out and the player takes his legs away from him, then it is a penalty, there is no question if he meant to make contact or not.
“David Amoo didn’t mean to make contact when the ball bounced 30-yards out from goal but he made a bit of contact and there was a foul rightly given.
“If you are pulled down in the penalty area and the player doesn’t make contact with the ball and makes contact with the opposition it is a penalty.
“In the second half we changed our shape and we made a couple of substitutions. It made a little bit of difference to the game and we passed the ball well through the middle of the park, we were much more available to create passing angles for our midfield players and we got on the front foot.
“It was one way traffic, they had a couple of chances when they countered but on the whole we took the game to them. The players will get their fortune if they keep playing with that sort of determination.
“The game was all about if we would score an equaliser not if they would score a second. We certainly put enough good play together and created enough good moments and on a different day we would have put the ball into the net.
“It is the same old story from our point of view, if you put the play together and you don’t put the ball into the net then you have to take a long hard look at yourselves and see where you can improve.”