Paul Heckingbottom backs match-winner Daniel Jebbison to get even better

Paul Heckingbottom says there is more to come from match-winner Daniel Jebbison after Preston came back from 2-0 down to beat Sheffield United 3-2 in the Championship.

Andre Brooks had put the Blades ahead with his first goal of the season after 10 minutes and Callum O’Hare’s scintillating solo effort doubled the advantage six minutes later.

Lewis Dobbin halved the arrears from just outside the box in first-half stoppage-time before Japhet Tanganga put through his own net less than a minute into the second half.

And on-loan Bournemouth forward Jebbison completed the turnaround, against his old club, with a 58th-minute header.

“He’ll be pleased with that,” North End boss Heckingbottom said about Jebbison.

“He’s had some stick when he doesn’t head it but he’ll be pleased with that. I think (more) will come (from him) but pre-season has set him back.

“The fact he wanted to come here (is big) because it’s not an easy ride here, even if I do have a relationship with him.”

Preston started the game well and went behind against the run of play and the manner of the goals frustrated Heckingbottom.

He added: “We had a brain freeze for 15 minutes. We started great. We’ve got a lot of young players playing at this level for the first time. The team we’ve highlighted are really good in transition, especially their front three.

“From being really dominant, we’re one-down. And we’ve given them the second goal and that was our worst moment. And we just lost discipline in our shape, going gung-ho, trying to get the next goal, but we weren’t playing in a way to hurt them.

“It’s alright saying we’re comfortable or we’re going to get back in it if we have to force play with a bit more discipline, you’ve given them the goals, don’t give them any more.”

Sheffield United had put together back-to-back wins, propelling them out of the relegation zone, but this defeat halted that momentum.

And Blades boss Chris Wilder said: “You always look at it from both angles. Paul (Heckingbottom) will look at it from his angle and credit his players. I’ll be critical of my players not putting the game to bed and being naive putting it in the big moment just before half-time.

“(We made) poor decisions in not putting them to bed when we were on top. I was delighted in how we set up, how we jumped, how we forced, and how we created, but you have to put teams to bed.

“When we did break it up, we did have opportunities to go three up and knowing what football’s about through experience, smelling and using that experience, not being naive, it was so crucial, especially how we played in the first half, to come in 2-0 up.”

O’Hare and Djibril Soumare had two big chances to snatch a draw in the latter stages but, while Wilder rued a lack of cutting edge, he pointed more towards the first-half inefficiencies.

“You have to be clinical,” Wilder added. “From our point-of-view, top of the pitch decisions before half-time changed the game.”