Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom fumes at Milutin Osmajic’s latest controversy

Paul Heckingbottom labelled Milutin Osmajic’s indiscipline “totally unacceptable” after the Preston forward added to his tally of suspensions with a headbutt against Hull.

Former North End loanee Liam Millar set Hull on the way to a 3-0 win with a 33rd-minute tap-in, with Akin Famewo doubling the lead just before half-time.

Oli McBurnie acrobatically put the icing on the cake in the 53rd minute but worse was to follow for Preston after Osmajic’s late red card for clashing with John Lundstram.

The Montenegro striker has previously served long suspensions after being found guilty of biting Blackburn’s Owen Beck and for allegedly making racist comments to Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri.

And Preston boss Heckingbottom said: “(It is) a lack of discipline that is totally unacceptable.

“In my time here, he gets three games for that and that makes 20 games (missed due to suspension). They are different issues, don’t get me wrong, but getting sent off for a tackle for the team is a lot different.

“There’s a way to act as a professional footballer, regardless of if that’s a tackle on the pitch, discipline away from it, or on the training ground.”

Heckingbottom was also upset with the manner of how his team capitulated and said: “I’m really disappointed because I feel it’s the first time since been here that I didn’t really enjoy watching us.

“We were outfought. As the game went on, after the third goal, the heads went down and then it got ugly. It’s not what I want to see.

“Before that, I’m just watching things back and the goals we conceded were terrible. It’s not how we’ve performed or defended this season.

“We could’ve had two or three tap-ins with balls across the box but there was just a real lack of desire.”

Sergej Jakirovic praised Hull for keeping calm as they strengthened their play-off credentials with victory over their fellow top-six challengers.

The Tigers boss said: “I think we controlled the whole game. Everything. I think we found balance in our performance, in possession, out of possession.

“Their two strikers up front, they got a lot of long balls, second balls, that was tricky on this demanding pitch. The pitch is not in the best condition and we scored three nice goals.

“In the second half, I had in our mind the first game where Preston killed us in the first half in Hull (but Hull came back to draw 2-2). It was very important that we were calm and that we didn’t panic at 2-0 and that we still got the result.

“Maybe we should have scored two or three more but I’m very happy because that’s back-to-back wins and we are very satisfied with this.”