Preston North End faithful might have fresh Milutin Osmajic frustration as play-offs come into debate | OneFootball

North End fans must be wondering how much closer to the play-off places their team could be had a certain infamous Deepdale incident not occured.

Milutin Osmajic is certainly on his way to cult hero status with Preston North End - whether that be for the right or wrong reasons.

The 25-year-old striker was signed from Spanish side Cadiz in the 2023 summer transfer window for a club record £2.1 million fee, and is proving himself to be a smart player at Championship level.

However, the Montenegro international has also been somewhat of a liability at times for the Lilywhites, and he's certainly one that plays on the edge of games.

With North End quietly starting to climb the Championship table, many Preston fans will surely be pondering how much closer to the play-off places they might be had a certain incident at Deepdale not taken place earlier this season.

PNE's results suffered following Milutin Osmajic's Blackburn biting ban

It was Sunday 22 September, 2024, and Preston welcomed Lancashire rivals Blackburn to Deepdale for the first clash between the two sides this season.

Despite finishing in a 0-0 draw, it was a game that was overshadowed by a late incident involving Osmajic and Rovers defender Owen Beck.

With just minutes to go in the game, Osmajic was fouled and referee Matt Donohue awarded Preston a free-kick. Beck then kicked out at North End's Duane Holmes, which sparked a heated reaction from those in white shirts, one of which being Osmajic.

He latched onto the back of Beck, appearing to sink his teeth into the Liverpool loanee. Beck was shown a straight red card for his kick out at Holmes, with Osmajic getting away with just a yellow card at the time for his involvement in the melee

However, after reviewing the footage and receiving Osmajic's admission of violent conduct, the FA slapped him with an eight-game ban in all competitions, as well as a £15,000 fine. In the aftermath of that, Preston's form dipped significantly.

As outlined in the table above, Paul Heckingbottom's side would pick up just one win over Coventry City during his absence, whilst recording four draws and two defeats.

Preston will need Osmajic available and scoring goals if they are to threaten play-off places

Almost every season without fail, at least one dark horse contender emerges to make a late sprint for the play-offs. Preston North End may well be this year's offering.

The Lilywhites took a trip to Carrow Road on Tuesday night, with Norwich's historic home being a notoriously difficult hunting ground for visiting teams to go and return with points.

However, thanks to an Osmajic strike after five minutes, North End secured a huge three points with an impressive performance to boot, and extended their run of form to now read one defeat in their previous six.

Osmajic has been in fine form for North End when available, scoring seven times in league action and 12 times in all competitions, and in the Championship he leads the way in terms of xG (Expected goals) per 90 minutes.

Having found themselves just a couple of wins away from the play-off places, they will now be marching into the make-or-break section of their season over the next few weeks full of confidence.

But, with games against Burnley, Millwall, Coventry, Sheffield United and Sunderland to come over the next month, they could come out of that gauntlet having been dragged back into a relegation battle, or perhaps with dreams of a play-off finish still firmly intact.

If it's to be the latter, then Preston will not only need Osmajic to keep finding the back of the net, but also for their maverick striker to keep himself on the pitch and available to Heckingbottom.