Pulis in referee plea

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Pulis was left more than a little bemused by some of the decisions made by inexperienced Northumberland official Mike Oliver during his side's shock 2-0 defeat at struggling Preston on Tuesday.

"The referee was a very young referee and I'm not blaming him for the result," said Pulis, whose side next face QPR in a televised clash on Sunday. "But I thought he gave some poor decisions and certainly reacted when the crowd reacted."

"I suppose that's experience. But I don't think he should be given the opportunity to gain experience from a team that's at the top of the table and a team that's at the bottom of the table fighting for their lives.

"Like I said, I'm not blaming the referee - there's no-one else to blame apart from us for not being ruthless really in both boxes."

The man who was ruthless at Deepdale was Preston's Richard Chaplow.

His first-half brace - his first goals in 16 months - ultimately proved crucial, much to the delight of boss Alan Irvine.

"Chappy did really well," said the Preston boss.

"I spoke to him beforehand and told him his assets were running and energy. When he does what he did here, it's difficult for people to stick with him."