Norwich City boss Dean Smith has criticised referee Dean Whitestone for allowing Preston to time waste in their 3-2 win at Carrow Road.
It just wouldn’t be a surprise Preston away win without a manager having a moan about North End allegedly bending the rules.
We’ve heard it all before and it’s no different after Saturday’s win at high-flying Norwich.
The Canaries will have been expecting a victory after Josh Sargent’s early goal but Preston wouldn’t lie down.
Emil Riis scored either side of half time to put North End 2-1 up, and even a Gabriel Sara equaliser didn’t fend Preston off.
Troy Parrott’s deflected winner sealed three points for Preston, though there was more late drama.
Kenny McLean appeared to have snatched a point for Norwich but his goal was disallowed due to Grant Hanley grappling with Jordan Storey off the ball.
Norwich were outraged and, sure enough, there have been complaints about referee Whitestone.
Canaries boss Smith has told the Eastern Daily Press that Preston ‘slowed it down at every opportunity’ to try and grind out a result.
Smith added that ‘something needs to be done’ as there could have been 20 minutes of injury time if all of Preston’s alleged time wasting had been recorded.
Smith even claims that Hanley was punched by Storey in the build-up to that disallowed McLean goal.
This is the kind of thing Preston are met with regularly, especially when beating a perceivably ‘bigger’ side.
Cheating, diving, time wasting, it’s all thrown against North End.
Smith notably didn’t bother to bring up that Norwich defender Sam Byram should have been sent off in the first half when he went in high, with studs showing, on Alan Browne.
Ryan Lowe, his staff and his players shouldn’t really care about these complaints; Preston were worthy of the three points and managed the game brilliantly to frustrate Norwich masterfully.