Last time I looked football was about two teams trying to put the ball into each others net, the one that achieves this most is deemed the winner. In the middle there should be a fair minded official allowing the game to be played in a fair and decent fashion. Can somebody please tell Andy Hall!

Rangers' win against West Ham on Saturday came at a price with Holloway forced into three changes to his starting eleven. Rose, Shittu and Cureton were all unable to start, with the former being fit enough for a place on the bench only. Olly went in with Day in goal behind Bignot, Santos, new loan signing Frankie Simek and Padula. The midfield four was unchanged with Rowlands, Bircham, Gallen and Cook. Kevin McLeod was drafted in to play alongside Furlong in attack.

Rangers started shakily with the otherwise excellent Chris Day hacking two clearances into Preston players within the first five minutes. It came as something of a surprise given this shaky start that Rangers took the lead after just eight minutes. A Gallen freekick was tipped wide in rather unconvincing fashion by Preston keeper Lonergan. Cookie swung the ball in from the right and Georges Santos rose unchecked at the far post to nod home for his second of the season.

What was needed now was a good solid ten minutes to settle the game down but that wasn't to be as Santos came up with a howler to undo his good work at the other end. A hopeful punt upfield looked to be of little danger as Georges positioned himself to head away. He misjudged though and the ball bounced into the path of Leeds target David Healy. He bore down on goal and Padula came haring across to try and get in a last ditch tackle, they both seemed to meet the ball at the same time and it flew into the corner of the net leaving Day powerless to intervene.

For a while after this Preston had Rangers rocking and Arsenal loanee Simek must have been wondering what he had left himself in for as the Lancastrians poured forward time and again. Ex Fulham winger Eddie Lewis saw a corner tipped away from the goal by Day and then the big keeper had to produce a fabulous save when Healy found space at the far post and cracked a volley at goal. Daisy spread himself well and managed to turn the ball away to safety.

Things were as tight as a drum at the other end with Preston centre backs Chris Lucketti and Youl Mawene in imperious form. Neither Furlong nor McLeod could find any space, that was until just after the half hour when Rangers very nearly grabbed the lead again. Martin Rowlands for once managed to beat his fullback and flung over a cross to the near post. McLeod showed some good movement to run across his defender to meet the cross only to see his header thud back off of the bar, Furlong could only send the rebound over as he slipped when striking.

As the half ended Pukka Pies Pin Up Boy Andy Hall began to exert his own brand of influence on the game when in the fifth minute of two minutes injury time he booked Santos for kicking the ball away. A heinous crime as the ball must have travelled all of three feet! All through the half he had shown a love for his new handball signal, clearly top of the curriculum at referee's remedial classes this week and this would come back to haunt us later in the game.

Rangers started the second half as the brighter side thanks to a formation change from Holloway. McLeod moved to the right of a midfield five with Furlong a lone striker. Plenty of crosses were coming in now although lack of numbers in the box meant that they could not be capitalised on.

At the other end Preston were having more joy and skipper Lucketti saw a powerful header turned over by Day. Minutes later it was hearts in mouths time as Santos nearly scored an own goal. Another ball into the box was met by the big Frenchman and his header flew past Day before hitting the base of the post. Day did well though to be alert enough to push the rebound away to safety when it seemed it may creep over the line.

With just over ten minutes left to play Andy Hall stepped up to the mark to stun both sets of fans with a bizarre series of decisions. Preston striker Richard Creswell surged into the box, evading tackles like Derek Bell on a slalom course before crossing just as he was fouled. The ball had rolled to Lewis and he rifled the ball past Day to give Preston the lead. Or so he and the 10,000 other people inside Deepdale thought. Hall decided that a penalty was a far better idea much to the chagrin of the PNE players and fans. Healy stepped up to take the penalty and managed to roll it gently at Day in rather predictable fashion.

Now Hall had been made to look like a complete fool by his incompetence so he decided that two wrongs do in fact make a right and barely two minutes later had pointed to the spot yet again. This time a long ball into the box was brought down by Padula but unfairly according to the Pie Man and his assistant. A penalty for handball was the call and during the fervent protests Gallen found his way into Hall's food stained notebook. This time Cresswell took the kick and battered it past the outstretched Day's right hand.

The game had now descended into high farce, not uncommon for a game "controlled" by this clown and there was soon a brawl for him to get his teeth into. Cook and Eddie Lewis chased a ball toward the touchline and as Cook tried to back heel it he caught Lewis, the American responded by cuffing him round the ear and then it all got a bit soppy. Players came from everywhere and both benches dove in to try and kill the situation. All the while Hall stood back from the action sharpening his pencil with a maniacal glint in his eye. Oh what fun he could have here, all these people to piss off in one big moment.

As it was he booked Cook and Lewis, lectured Mawene and Bircham and then decided to send Timmy Breaker to the stand! Timmy the Tank Engine had seemingly been foolish enough to try and break the situation up, perhaps next time he will sit back and watch the players knock seven bells out of each other, that would be a far more responsible course of action.

As the melee subsided Olly threw teenage prodigy Scott Donnelly into the fray in a desperate last attempt to salvage something from the game. He was unlucky to see a shot charged down from twenty five yards and then with almost the last kick of the game he was denied by a good tackle from Mawene as he tried to hit the target from six yards.

The good run was always going to come to an end at some point and in truth I thought we were beaten by the better side. Preston seemed to have a bit more about them all night and would argue that they deserved their bit of luck with the second pen after Hall had robbed them of a perfectly good goal. We still sit in fourth position though and I think we would all have taken that at the start of the season

simon@qprnet.com