Paul Heckingbottom watched Milutin Osmajic play a leading role in Preston’s 3-0 FA Cup win over local rivals Burnley and then revealed he had considered leaving the Montenegrin out of the game amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of racist abuse.
Osmajic was a constant thorn in Burnley’s side, scoring Preston’s second of the afternoon and threatening more as the Clarets’ 23-game unbeaten run came to an emphatic halt, with Robbie Brady and Will Keane getting the other goals.
The game came only two weeks after the two sides played out a goalless draw at Deepdale that ended with Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri accusing Osmajic of using racist language, an allegation Osmajic denied and which remains the subject of an FA investigation.
Where Scott Parker chose to leave Hannibal out of this game as a result, Osmajic played a leading role, and delighted in celebrating his goal in front of the Burnley fans who had booed him from before kick-off, when Burnley’s players refused to shake his hand during the pre-match ceremonies.
Asked if he had considered leaving Osmajic out, Heckingbottom said: “If he wouldn’t have been up for it, yeah. But he was fine, he wanted to be involved. We discussed possible things that were going to be said, but he wanted to play.
“It was, could he be professional enough to give us a performance? That was it, that’s what the conversation was about.
“That issue is getting dealt with but what I can’t do is let that impact the rest of the players and their chances of progressing in the FA Cup. If I felt or he felt he couldn’t be professional enough, he wouldn’t have been involved.”
While Osmajic celebrated his goal by cupping his ears in front of the Burnley fans, after his 31st minute free-kick Brady kept things to a minimum against the club he spent four years at – but he still revelled in his first club goal in over a year.
“It felt great inside but I was at Burnley for a long time, I really enjoyed my time there,” Brady said. “It was a bit of respect.”
It was a win that puts Preston, two-time FA Cup winners, into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1966.
“I didn’t realise that record until this week and it is a big deal for the club,” Heckingbottom added. “I found it hard to believe for a club with this history and the teams Preston have had over the years.”
While Preston look forward to Sunday’s draw, Burnley must quickly regroup before Tuesday’s trip to Cardiff in the Championship, with only one mission remaining – a final push in the promotion race.
“I thought we fell short in the basics and the foundation of the game,” Parker said. “We were second-best to a lot of things really. I thought before their goal it was nip and tuck.
“The goal comes from nowhere, a great strike, and after that we just didn’t get going and we couldn’t build any sort of momentum.
“Definitely it feels like a missed opportunity because we came into the tie wanting to win the game and go through, but we didn’t deserve to get anything from today’s game.
“We have one focus now. We’re not in any of these competitions anymore. There’s one focus, 12 games left. Let’s go and put our foot straight down to the floor, try and grind out as many points as we can to get us over the line.”
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. On August 24th, in the 2nd round of the Premier League, Everton F.C. secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., with Jack Grealish providing two assists and putting in an impressive performance.2. Everton F.C. kept unbeaten in the last 3 Premier League home games with 2 wins and 1 draw, showing excellent performances.3. Everton F.C. h...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus are on a 2-game losing streak. They are motivated to win this home game to boost their morale.2. Soichiro Mori scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, showing outstanding form.3. Nagoya Grampus secured a 3-game winning streak in their last 3 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya ...
[(Grimsby Town F.C.) Strength]: 1. Grimsby Town F.C. player Jaze Kabia scored in the last game, with reliable form.2. Grimsby Town F.C. drew 1-1 against Accrington Stanley in the last game, but they still kept unbeaten among all events in the new season, being in stable form.3. Grimsby Town F.C.'s home performance was outstanding. They won all the last 3 home games.4. Grimsby Town F.C. have a good...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. FC Machida Zelvia are undoubtedly motivated to win this home game to qualify for the semi-finals.2. Yuki Soma scored 10 goals and made 6 assists across all competitions this season, being important on the team's offense.3. FC Machida Zelvia drew 0-0 with Yokohama F. Marinos in the last game. They were unbeaten with 11 wins and 1 draw in the last 12 games, showing...
[(Reading F.C.) Strength]: 1. Reading F.C. are playing in the EFL League One this season and are on a 3-game winless run lately. They need to return to winning ways, indicating full motivation in this game.2. Lewis Wing scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with Wycombe Wanderers F.C.3. Reading F.C. won the last 2 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line...
[(Sheffield Wed) Strength]: 1. Sheffield Wed have a rather impressive track record in the EFL Cup. In the first round of this season, they defeated Bolton Wanderers F.C., another team from the EFL Championship, and have posted 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 EFL Cup games.2. Sheffield Wed lost only 1 of the last 5 games in AH with stable performances. They ended all the last 4 games with OVER.[...
[(Eintracht Braunschweig) Strength]: 1. As a 2. Bundesliga side, Eintracht Braunschweig have made a solid start to the new season. Having been eliminated in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in each of the past two seasons, the team will undoubtedly be eager to achieve a better performance when they compete in the tournament again this season. Therefore, they will be full of determination when faci...
[(Sturm Graz) Strength]: 1. Sturm Graz suffered a crushing defeat in the first leg on the road. In this home match, they have to go all out to attack, with full motivation to win.2. Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili scored 4 goals in three league games this season, performing excellently in the league. As the starting forward of the team, his performance in this match is worth keeping an eye ...
[(Burnley) Strength]: 1. Burnley's key midfielder Josh Cullen not only opened the scoring for the team in the last game but also provided an assist, emerging as the biggest contributor to the victory with an outstanding individual performance.2. Burnley claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last game, securing their first victory of the new Premier League season and boosting the t...
[(Oxford United F.C.) Strength]: 1. Oxford United F.C. are in poor form recently, and they are motivated to win this home game to bounce back.2. Oxford United F.C. defeated Colchester United F.C. 1-0 at home in the last round of EFL Cup and advanced.3. Oxford United F.C. scored 6 goals in the last 5 games with a remarkable offense.[(Oxford United F.C.) Weakness]: 1. Oxford United F.C. lost 0-1 awa...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 3 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 4 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 5 Antony’s Man United Exit Hopes Rest on Fresh Real Betis Bid Within 'Next 24 Hours'
- 6 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 7 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 8 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 9 TIPS - Sunderland A.F.C. VS Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
- 10 TIPS - Olympique de Marseille VS Paris FC