Rovers conceded in injury time for the second time in three days as Dom Hyam’s own goal denied them victory over Preston North End that would have lifted them to fifth in the table.

On Wednesday night it was Coventry City goalkeeper Ben Wilson who denied them in the 95th minute and this time it was the most unfortunate of own goals that saw them drop two more points.

They had victory in their sights after a much improved second half performance, with Sam Szmodics’ 81st minute strike having looked like giving them a crucial three points.

They left Deepdale with only one as moments after Ryan Hedges missed the chance to seal it at the other end, Liam Delap’s cross was deflected beyond Aynsley Pears by the back-tracking Hyam.

It means Rovers will finish a completed matchday outside of the top six for the first time since October, with three more games to play.

Jon Dahl Tomasson made four changes, which included the decision to leave out top scorer Ben Brereton.

He dropped to the bench along with Callum Brittain and Ryan Hedges, while Sam Gallagher faces a battle to play again this season after picking up a hamstring injury in midweek.

There were recalls for Tyler Morton, Sorba Thomas, Tyrhys Dolan and fit-again Harry Pickering.

It meant a move to 4-3-3, with Sam Szmodics playing as the most advanced central attacker.

Tom Cannon was North End’s in-form man, with eight goals in his last 10 games, and had the first opportunity of the game six minutes in.

Josh Onomah wriggled free in the box to find the striker whose shot wasn’t struck cleanly, had Aynsley Pears scrambling across his goal as it went wide of the post.

The concern for Rovers was to be where the goal threat would come from, but they did put together a good move in the 10th minute that saw Thomas cross for Dolan who took a touch before getting a shot away, but Jordan Storey was there to block.

Rovers were doing well in terms of their organisation, and keeping the ball, but moves broke down with too great a regularity in the final third where they looked short of ideas.

Joe Rankin-Costello, forward from right back, had the first shot on target 24 minutes in, collecting a Szmodics pass before getting a left foot shot away from edge of the box that Freddie Woodman palmed to safety.

North End were equally struggling when going forward, with Brad Potts ballooning a shot into the away end from a promising position on the right edge of the box, before Ben Whiteman did hit the target from a central position, but Pears easily held moving away to his left.

The sides traded free kicks just before the break, Rovers first having the chance as Adam Wharton was tripped by Whiteman, but Morton’s effort was blocked by the head of Troy Parrott.

Whiteman then curled his 20-yard effort over the wall in first half stoppage time, but Pears was able to beat the ball away diving away to his right.

It didn’t have the feeling of a game which had so much riding on it for both teams as they went into the break level.

Tomasson was the first to change things, a double switch at the break saw Ryan Hedges and Ben Brereton sent on in place of Thomas and Dolan.

Hedges almost had an immediate impact, his break down the right seeing him slide the ball into the path of Szmodics who was only denied a clean strike at goal from six yards out by an excellent Whiteman interception.

There was a better intensity to Rovers’ play though, with Travis teeing up Rankin-Costello 10 minutes after the re-start, only for his left foot shot fail to test Woodman.

North End hadn’t made the most of their extra height from set plays, though they still required determined Rovers defending to keep them at boy.

The travelling support, 5,000 strong, thought they had an opening goal to celebrate as Szmodics turned in a Brereton cross from close range. Those celebrations were cut short though as Szmodics was adjudged to have handled the ball when applying the finish and was subsequently cautioned.

There was no denying that Rovers were on top, a greater intensity to their play seeing them dominate, but they were still having to be intricate around the North End box in a bid to break through.

Rankin-Costello was getting forward with increasingly regularity, but couldn’t hit the target with his shot from 20 yards out in the 66th minute.

While Rovers were reluctant to shoot at times, North End midfielder Whiteman certainly wasn’t, and another 25-yarder had Pears moving away to his right to save with relative ease.

Hedges had made a real difference down the Rovers right and it was down that channel they were enjoying some real success.

With nine minutes remaining their pressure paid off, a well-crafted move finished off by Szmodics. Wharton found Travis who played in the attacker who when up against the last defender cut inside and bent a lovely low shot around the out-stretched arm of Woodman.

Rovers made a double switch with two minutes remaining, and defensive ones as Callum Brittain and Scott Wharton replaced Morton and Szmodics.

It was a defensive approach, but should have been enough to see the game through, not least when Hedges broke clear from inside his own half, only to see an attempted chip go straight into the arms of Woodman.

From the next attack, North End came forward down the right, with Delap getting free of Scott Wharton to deliver a cross that hit Hyam and flew into Pears’ near post, leaving the ‘keeper with no choice.

It was another cruel blow for Rovers and left supporters questioning just if it is meant to be.

PNE: Woodman, Bauer, (Woodburn, 76), Storey, Hughes, Potts, Fernandez, Whiteman, Onomah (Delap, 83), Johnson (McCann, 69), Cannon, Parrott

Subs: Cornell, Lindsay, Ledson, Slater

Rovers: Pears, Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Pickering, Travis, Morton (S Wharton, 88), A Wharton, Thomas (Hedges, 46), Szmodics (Brittain, 88), Dolan (Brereton, 46)

Subs: Kaminski, Garrett, Dack