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Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom has claimed “the smell of weed” in the tunnel made his players clock on to the presence of Snoop Dogg as Swansea gave their celebrity co-owner a rapturous welcome.
Swansea’s second-tier clash with Preston garnered international attention on Tuesday night with fans packing the stands to welcome the hip-hop icon to south Wales.
Snoop Dogg was greeted with twirling towels – a staple action for supporters in American sports – and a guard of honour during a seven-minute lap of honour ahead of kick-off.
There was more drama in the match that ensued, with Swansea snatching a 95th-minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw and rob promotion-chasing Preston of two valuable points.
Heckingbottom insisted the atmosphere was not a factor in the result but did admit there was one notable difference from his other trips to the Swansea.com Stadium.
"I think just the smell of weed in the tunnel is the only thing where we realised something was different,” he said, but only after asserting: "It was quiet. We kept them quiet.
‘That's how we played. Our fans were the loudest. We only let them have their occasion at the very end by conceding. So that's the frustrating thing.
"I can't tell. It's only different for people who are here every week, isn't it? It's not different for us. We don't play at Swans every week, so it's no different for us.”
Snoop Dogg became a minority owner of the Welsh club – whose board also includes American television host Martha Stewart and Croatia international Luka Modric – in July and his first visit to Swansea attracted a record crowd to a stadium opened in 2005.
Preston had taken a first-half lead through Daniel Jebbison as they looked to keep up the pace in the play-off race, with the striker ending an 11-game goal drought.
But Cullen headed home in the fifth and final minute of added time, sparking wild scenes which included celebrations by the American rapper.
Preston are five points off the final play-off places, while Swansea are three points further back after extending their unbeaten home run to nine games.