Advertisement

Preston strike late to frustrate Norwich, Watford keep winning

(Reuters) - Preston North End midfielder Brad Potts scored deep into added time to help his side hold Championship leaders Norwich City to a 1-1 draw on Friday while second-placed Watford overcame Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 to reduce the gap at the top.

Norwich were on course to return to winning ways after last month's 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers snapped their nine-match winning run, with Emiliano Buendia giving them the lead in the 17th minute at Deepdale Stadium.

But Potts denied the leaders in the fifth minute of added time with a shot that beat goalkeeper Tim Krul at the near post after taking a deflection off teenager Andrew Omobamidele.

The result left the Canaries with 84 points from 39 games, six points clear of Watford who stayed on course for automatic promotion to the Premier League with a 10th victory in 11 matches thanks to an early own goal by Tom Lees.

Swansea City in third missed the chance to keep pace with the top two as they slipped to a last-gasp 1-0 loss at Birmingham City in Friday's late kickoff - the Welsh side's third straight league defeat.

It appeared the Swans were on course for a point having been handed a reprieve when Lukas Jutkiewicz missed a first-half penalty for Birmingham but a second spot-kick, converted by Scott Hogan in the 91st minute, snatched victory for the hosts.

The result means Swansea are now nine points off the automatic promotion spots, having played one game less.

Fourth-placed Brentford - who are a point behind the Welsh club ahead of a visit to Huddersfield Town on Saturday - are three clear of Barnsley in fifth after the Yorkshire side's 1-1 draw with Reading.

Bournemouth manager Jonathan Woodgate oversaw a 3-1 victory over his former club Middlesbrough, leaving them a point behind sixth placed Reading.

In other matches, Wayne Rooney's Derby County beat Luton Town 2-0, struggling Wycombe Wanderers overcame Blackburn 1-0 and Rotherham United were beaten 1-0 at Millwall.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)