Preston stay unbeaten at home in the Championship with draw against Bristol City

Preston extended their unbeaten home record in the Championship this season to four matches with a 0-0 draw against Bristol City.

Anis Mehmeti had the best opportunity to win it right at the death for the visitors but was denied from six yards by North End keeper Daniel Iversen.

Both teams came into this one with identical records and the game played out in such a fashion with lots of hunger, desire and discipline on display from both groups of players.

City made a bright start and Rob Atkinson nearly gave them an early lead, forcing Iversen into a smart stop with his leg on the swivel after Preston failed to deal with a corner.

And the Danish goalkeeper was called into another smart stop in the 17th minute, getting down low to tip Mehmeti’s low strike from the edge of the box around the post.

Against the run of play, Milutin Osmajic wasted a golden opportunity to open the scoring having been played in on goal by Lewis Dobbin, taking a heavy touch that allowed Radek Vitek to take charge of the situation and halt the play.

But Dobbin soon resurrected the situation and teed up Alfie Divine in the box, who was denied at the last minute by Zak Vyner.

Vitek then reacted well at his near post to keep out two consecutive efforts from Lewis Gibson in the 27th minute after being found by Andrew Hughes.

Bristol City’s best first-half opening came 12 minutes later as Ross McCrorie picked out Scott Twine in acres of space in the Preston box but the former Burnley man rushed his finish and dragged well wide.

After a scrappy start to the second half, the excellent McCrorie sent Mehmeti through on goal but, on the stroke of the hour, the Algerian inexplicably slid the ball wide of the near post.

Minutes later, Dobbin shepherded a loose ball across the box for Osmajic but Preston’s top scorer dragged a snap-shot across the face of goal.

Emil Riis returned to Deepdale for the first time since leaving the Lancashire outfit in the summer and he was jeered in the early minutes by the home fans before departing the pitch in the 86th minute with ironic cheers, having not made a decisive contribution for his new club.

However, the visitors thought they had won it in added time when Mehmeti brilliantly weaved his way past two Preston defenders but Iversen made a sensational save from point-blank range to keep the scores level.