Preston North End manager Simon Grayson was left feeling flat and disappointed following Stevenage’s late equaliser.
The hosts scored in injury time to cancel out Tom Clarke’s first half opener, a goal which was hard to swallow for the PNE boss.
“We are very disappointed in the dressing room that we have not won that game,” Grayson told the press.
“We dominated it for 95 per cent of the game, you know you are in for a tough game here, but we withstood everything they threw at us, through the channels, the strikers, a lot of second balls and we matched them.
“We controlled the game for 95 per cent apart from that last five minutes were we didn’t see the game out as we should have done.
“It certainly does feel like a defeat in the circumstances when you dominate a game for 95 per cent.
“This was never going to be an easy game, but when you have controlled it like we did, they never looked like they were going to score to be fair apart from after they did score and we had to withstand quite a bit of pressure.
“It is hugely disappointing that we have dropped two points tonight.
“There is no one more disappointed than the players because they have been on that pitch and dominated the game from start to finish without really having loads and loads of chances, but you don’t get that opportunity sometimes.
“We defended extremely well and matched them in the middle areas and looked like we were going to see the game through, but it is that decision making.
“Instead of trying to hit players into their feet, get it down the sides of them and then we can squeeze up and work it from there.
“It is just disappointing, but it is never an easy place to come in the first place.”
The gaffer’s frustration wasn’t helped when just prior to Stevenage’s leveller, Joe Garner appeared to be tripped inside the home side’s box, but his penalty appeals were waved away by the referee.
“Joe Garner has run across and the lad has clipped him and it is a penalty,” continued Simon.
“I thought the referee was strong tonight, it is never easy to referee these types of games when you come here, but I thought it was a penalty, Joe Garner said it was a penalty and there lad sort of half admitted it was a penalty as well, so we are disappointed with that, but we didn’t see the game out in a professional manner like we should have done.
“We get a free kick and we clip it straight into the goalkeeper’s hands which gives them possession back straight away and they go down the other end and score, so we could have done something about it and it is just frustrating that we have had a few results over the last few weeks where we conceded late goals and we have got to be better with the game management.”
The draw sees North End move on to 11 matches unbeaten with four points from two road trips in the space of four days.
A return the gaffer would have taken if offered it on Saturday before 3pm.
“You would have taken that but we want to win as many matches as possible,” said Grayson when asked about the last two away fixtures and their subsequent results.
“We want to keep in touch with everybody in and around us and above us and when you concede late like we have done tonight it is points dropped rather than us gaining a point, but we would have taken four points from the two games, but when you come away from a game you have dominated for 95 per cent of the game then you can be hugely disappointed.”