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Published 21:59 6 Oct 2017 BST
Updated 22:50 6 Oct 2017 BST
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Shane Long will come out of this rut and it will soon become a distant memory, but that's the fickle, unforgiving nature of football that he has to put up with for now.
The criticism was flowing towards the Southampton striker online, and from Ronnie Whelan, and he'll know himself that his missed opportunities weren't good enough, and he could have been forgiven for being a frustrated figure.
Long was replaced late on in the game, by the young, hungry Seanie Maguire, a man who's career graph from Cork City to the Championship bears an uncanny resemblance to Long's own rise from the banks of the Lee to Reading a couple of years ago.
The heir to Long's throne, some might say, especially given the form our other front man Daryl Murphy is showing recently.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/916386380976140288
You might have thought Long would have been cross at himself, worried that Maguire is coming for his place, that he mightn't be wishing the best onto Maguire in the dog eat dog world of being a centre forward.
No, actually it was quite the opposite.
It was a natural, genuine reaction from Long, as a warm smile descended upon his face as he went over to high five his replacement.
It wasn't a begrudging smile, it was a willing, kind, selfless look and it was definitely appreciated by the Preston front man.
He knows how Maguire feels, he knows how much his best wishes are worth to the 23-year-old, he is a team player, a class act, and he deserves huge credit for this.
https://twitter.com/NiallMcintyre/status/916404203240804353
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