A heated Lancashire derby between Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End ended in a goalless draw, but the match was marred by an alleged biting incident involving Preston forward Milutin Osmajic and Rovers defender Owen Beck.
Despite no goals, plenty of incidents overshadowed the encounter, which ensured Rovers remained in the play-off spots in the early Championship table. However, both sides finished with ten men after Sam Greenwood and Beck were shown red cards in a physical and controversial encounter at Deepdale.
Despite the match being the first goalless draw between these fierce rivals in 43 years, the primary focus was on the Beck and Osmajic controversy. Rovers remained unbeaten in the Championship, moving up to fourth place, but missed the opportunity to climb above Burnley with a win. Preston, who started the day in the relegation zone, moved up to 21st with the hard-fought point.
Feisty Encounter
The first half lacked clear-cut chances, with both sides struggling to gain the upper hand. Blackburn came closest just before the interval when Tyrhys Dolan’s half-volley rattled the post after a save from Preston keeper Freddie Woodman. Moments later, Preston’s Sam Greenwood was sent off for a reckless tackle on Lewis Baker, leaving the hosts a man down.
However, Preston responded well, forcing Blackburn keeper Aynsley Pears into two fine saves to deny Brad Potts and Andy Hughes. Rovers boss John Eustace made an attacking substitution at halftime, bringing on forward Makhtar Gueye in a bid to capitalise on their numerical advantage. Despite this, Blackburn failed to break down a resolute Preston defense, with Gueye’s tame effort easily collected by Woodman.
The game descended into chaos late on when Owen Beck was sent off for lashing out at Duane Holmes. During the ensuing melee, Beck claimed he had been bitten by Preston substitute Osmajic, who was only shown a yellow card. Pears made a couple of important saves in the closing stages to ensure Blackburn held on for a point, but the biting incident overshadowed the game.
Manager Reaction
Blackburn boss John Eustace condemned the alleged bite after the game, showing clear frustration with the situation. “You can see from the television pictures that the kid has taken a big chunk out of his neck. That’s part of being in the derby, I suppose,” he told Sky Sports. Eustace also expressed concern for Beck, noting the visible bite mark and the player’s shaken demeanor after the incident: “He’s got a big bite mark on the back of his neck. It’s a shame the referee didn’t see that as well.”
While Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom was quick to distance himself from the incident, admitting he had not seen the footage, he made it clear there was “no place” for such actions in football: “I’ve just been told there when I did the Sky interview. Listen, all I can say is that there is no place for that and we know we can’t do that. Mistimed tackles, things like that are part and parcel of the game – you accept them. Anything that is not, we know how that’s dealt with. But, I have not seen anything so I am just going off you saying there has been an incident.”
He had no complaints about Greenwood’s red card, acknowledging the challenge was reckless and warranted the sending off.
“Yeah, watching it back I can see why it’s a red,” said Heckingbottom. “At the time, I thought he won the ball and it was a yellow card. He probably does, but Baker’s leg gets trapped underneath it. If they are reds, that’s fine, but we just want to see that consistency. No problem with that, but I saw a far worse tackle than that in the Sunderland game yesterday – and they ended up with 11 men and won the game one-nil. I think they are pretty easy ones to get right.”
The FA is expected to review the footage of the bite, which could lead to a lengthy suspension for Osmajic if found guilty.
Writer’s View
The match may have ended 0-0, but all anyone is talking about is the ugly incident involving Osmajic and Beck. Biting is one of the few unforgivable acts in football, and while tempers run high in derbies, there’s simply no excuse for it. If the footage confirms Beck’s claims, Osmajic is likely facing a substantial ban, which will be a major blow for Preston, especially with them already struggling near the bottom of the table.
For Blackburn, this was a missed opportunity. They had a man advantage for most of the second half and couldn’t break down a stubborn Preston defense. Eustace will be disappointed not to have claimed all three points, but the team’s unbeaten run and rise to fourth place are positives to take forward. However, with Beck now suspended and possibly shaken by the incident, Eustace will need to rally his squad to maintain momentum in their promotion push.
Founder of The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
