‘Angry’ Wayne Rooney brands Plymouth ‘nowhere near good enough’ despite three-goal fightback to snatch a point in dramatic Championship clash with Preston

Preston were on top form at Home Park Stadium as they scored three past Rooney's Plymouth before the 50th minute of the game, however, the hosts rallied back to draw the game with goals from Frederik Issaka, Andre Gray and Morgan Whitaker. While the former Manchester United star revealed his happiness at the result, he also expressed his disappointment with Plymouth's struggles early in the game.

Speaking to club media, Rooney said: "It was difficult to believe after an hour, being 3-0 down. I was very concerned. Some of the defending was nowhere near good enough. I'm angry today. I'm very angry today with that performance because we're better than that, and that's not us.

"Great, we come back, we kept fighting, we showed a spirit, but that performance is not us, and I'm very disappointed. I just felt we were in a bit of a daze really. We weren't getting to the ball; stray passes were getting them one v one. The goals we conceded were very easy goals to concede.

"I can't accept that performance. I’m delighted, obviously, that we got something out of the game, and we kept fighting. It's great when you come back and you do get something from being three goals down but, performance wise, that's nowhere near good enough."

Rooney's side faced a lot of criticism from fans in the first half and at the start of the second half as Plymouth fans expressed their frustration. Coming out of the tunnel, Plymouth players received whistles and boos, however, Rooney believes the heckling was understandable.

He said: "They had every right to boo and have a go at whether it's me or the players because that performance isn't good enough.

"But I think they saw us pushing, they saw us make changes. We were getting more balls in the box and trying to get back in the game. You could feel the atmosphere growing towards the end and I'm delighted we could at least get them a point. I was on the sideline as well and it wasn't good to watch for an hour."

Rooney's Plymouth side will now face yet another tough test when they take on third-placed Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday, November 2 as they look to rise higher up the Championship rankings.