Omer Riza promised his Cardiff side will keep fighting until the end in their battle against relegation after Yakou Meite’s goal late in stoppage time earned a point from a 2-2 draw at Preston.
Stefan Thordarson’s 72nd-minute header looked like earning Preston only a second win in 10 games after Will Alves had cancelled out Milutin Osmajic’s first-half strike, but in the fourth of five minutes added on Meite got free of the Preston defence to head in from close range.
“The boys showed the fighting spirit and I’ll keep saying the same thing, we’re fighting for survival,” Riza said. “They are fighting for each other, they are fighting for the club and we’ve come away with a point…
“(Preston) created good moments, good opportunities, but we stuck at it and we got that point. We’ve come here to try to get three because we need three every game, but us picking up a point today was vitally important.”
Cardiff struggled to make an impact in the first half and Osmajic had a number of opportunities to add to his 20th-minute strike, with the half-time whistle greeted with boos from those who had made the trip from Cardiff.
Riza responded by bringing on Alves for defender Dimitrios Goutas, and the 19-year-old made an instant impact, scoring his first Championship goal within seven minutes as Cardiff added attacking impetus.
Thordarson’s header seemed a killer blow but Cardiff’s endeavour was rewarded late on as they made it four games without a defeat, a run that has brought six points.
“It’s important we pick up points and survive however it comes,” Riza added. “We are four unbeaten but we know the importance of three points to take ourselves away from that area and we’re not managing to do it because of fundamental errors.
“That’s what we need to clean up, but one point is a big point for us today.”
Meite’s late goal means Preston have now drawn 12 times at home this season, 19 in all. Their unbeaten run at Deepdale stands at 14, but it has not brought enough points to get out of the bottom half.
Despite the late equaliser, Paul Heckingbottom felt the performance was a step forward from Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke.
“Before (the goal), it was good, I was pleased, but you get punished when you switch off,” he said. “It’s a mistake, it’s an error, but I just said to the boys in there we did more than enough at the other end so we can’t just look at that one error.
“We have to consider the other opportunities to win it at the other end as errors as well. It’s a frustrating one but I’m pleased with the performance.”
Both managers had made attacking substitutions with 20 minutes to go. Preston’s was the first to pay off with Emil Riis involved in the build-up for Thordarson’s goal before Meite won it.
“I’d rather lose a game trying to win it,” Heckingbottom said of his approach. “We need to make sure we take that mentality into next season and be a team that tries to protect points because, 19 draws, it’s not going to get us anywhere.”
