Town face an FA Cup third round replay at Preston after drawing 1-1 with the League One Lilywhites at Portman Road. Sub David McGoldrick followed up to score in the 38th minute after having a second penalty in a week saved with Kevin Davies equalising for the visitors four minutes later.
Boss Mick McCarthy made seven changes with Scott Loach, Tyrone Mings, Carlos Edwards, Luke Hyam, Anthony Wordsworth, Frank Nouble and debutant Sylvan Ebanks-Blake all starting in a 4-4-2 formation — with Mings at right-back and skipper Edwards ahead of him in midfield - rather than the anticipated 3-5-2 system.
Tommy Smith (back), Daryl Murphy (thigh), Dean Gerken (groin) dropped out of the 18, while Cole Skuse, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Paul Anderson switched to the bench, alongside top scorer McGoldrick.
Ebanks-Blake hit an early shot on the turn but failed to test Preston keeper Declan Rudd, who is on loan from Norwich.
Wordsworth surrendered possession inside the Town half in the 11th minute with the Blues yet to get going. Fortunately, the midfielder, a Lilywhites loan target in November, was able to get back to block Iain Hume’s shot from a tight angle on the right.
A minute later, Paul Gallagher curled a shot wide from the left with the visitors having the better of the opening spell.
Davies hit a low effort which Loach claimed comfortably in the 18th minute, then Ebanks-Blake used his strength to win the ball then struck a sharp shot from 30 yards which Rudd saw past his right post.
The visitors, in all yellow, should have been ahead in the 21st minute when Jay Tabb gifted possession to Davies on the Preston right. The former England man sent in a great ball which Hume diverted goalwards at the far post only for Chambers to nod off the line.
It was a lucky escape for the Blues who had been far too casual against League One’s fourth-placed side. A minute later, Nouble shot just wide from 25 yards.
Ebanks-Blake’s Town debut lasted just over 28 minutes, the former Wolves man sitting down in the centre circle and briefly receiving treatment before making way with McGoldrick taking over up front.
McGoldrick made a quick impression, hitting a shot which was deflected wide in the 33rd minute. Chambers headed to Rudd from the corner.
Mings saw a strike deflect wide in the 37th minute and from the resultant corner Town were awarded a penalty. Edwards sent the ball over from the right and Paul Huntington handled ahead of Nouble. Referee Michael Naylor pointed straight to the spot.
McGoldrick, who had a penalty saved on New Year’s Day when Charlton’s Ben Alnwick saved his low effort to his left, again stepped up, this time slamming a powerful strike to Rudd’s right. Again the keeper saved, but this time the Town top scorer followed up to net his 12th of the season.
The visitors were close to getting back on terms when Rudd’s long kick from the edge of his area — Nouble clattering into the keeper after the ball had gone, an incident which was missed by the officials — and Hume went through one-on-one with Loach, who did well to save with his legs.
But a Preston equaliser wasn’t long in coming. Mings was down injured when Lee Holmes played in Davies, who would have been well offside but for the prone Blues defender, and the ex-Bolton man slipped the ball past Loach.
The League One side were certainly worthy of at least being on terms at the break, even if their goal had an element of good fortune, the much-changed Blues having put in a thoroughly under par display.
McGoldrick had improved matters after coming on but his goal came against the run of play and with the Lilywhites having had the better of the chances up to then.
Town began the second half slightly more brightly, Mings cutting in and exchanging passes with Hyam before hitting a shot which deflected into the air to Rudd.
Referee Naylor felt Rudd had pushed McGoldrick’s 55th minute shot from the right wide, then from Cresswell’s corner the Blues’ top scorer couldn’t direct the ball goalwards.
Rudd definitely did save McGoldrick’s low shot from the edge of the area on the hour after Huntington and fellow defender Bailey Wright got in a tangle while trying to prevent Nouble getting on the ball.
Hume was sent away beyond the Town backline in the 65th minute but Berra and Chambers got back and the Canadian international’s strike deflected wide. Three minutes later the disappointing Tabb made way for Paul Taylor, who took over on the left.
On 68 Wright was booked for a wild challenge on Taylor eight yards outside the penalty area, Cresswell curling the freekick over.
Gallagher lashed well into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand from the edge of the box in the 75th minute when he ought to have done better, then a minute later Cresswell did well to get in ahead of Davies from a deflected cross from the Preston left.
In the 78th minute Ryan Tunnicliffe replaced Wordsworth, who had been unable to impose himself on the game, while Preston swapped Hume for Joe Garner.
After what had been a largely drab half, the Blues finally started to put the visitors under pressure in the closing minutes. In the 88th minute what looked like a goalbound Nouble header from a Taylor cross from the right was blocked by a defender’s head.
A minute later, Nouble whipped the ball across from the right, McGoldrick turned it goalwards from six yards but Rudd reacted superbly to block.
As the game moved into injury time, the Lancastrians began to threaten to win it, Will Hayhurst hitting a shot which deflected wide. From the corner Davies’s effort was blocked, then sub Scott Laird, an Ipswich fan, was unable to keep his shot down.
Soon after, referee Naylor blew his whistle to signal an end with the sides set to try again at Deepdale with the replay provisionally pencilled in for a week on Tuesday.
If either team deserved to win it was probably Preston, who created the better of the opportunities and were certainly on top before the break with the scruffy second half having little in it.
Town were lacklustre for the most part with only the out-of-position Mings and keeper Loach making much of an impression of the fringe players given the chance to impress boss Mick McCarthy.
The fourth round draw is on Sunday at 2pm live on ITV after the Nottingham Forest and West Ham United tie and also on BT Sport.
Town: Loach, Chambers, Berra, Mings, Edwards, Cresswell, Hyam, Tabb (Taylor 68), Wordsworth (Tunnicliffe 78), Nouble, Ebanks-Blake (McGoldrick 28). Subs: Crowe, Anderson, Skuse, Hunt.
Preston North End: Rudd, Keane, Huntington, Wright, Davies, Holmes, Gallagher (Hayhurst 90), Buchanan (Laird 88), Welsh, Hume (Garner 68), Kilkenny. Subs: Stuckmann, Byrom, Beavon, Brownhill. Referee: Michael Naylor (South Yorkshire). Att: 13,534 (Preston: 359)