Town target Jordan Hugill netted an 89th minute equaliser for Preston as the Blues drew 1-1 at Deepdale, Tom Lawrence having given the visitors a first-half lead with another brilliant strike.
New loan signing Toumani Diagouraga was handed his Town debut in the centre of midfield alongside Cole Skuse as Mick McCarthy made five changes to the team which lost 2-0 at Huddersfield last week.
Bartosz Bialkowski returned in goal with Dean Gerken back on the bench, while Josh Emmanuel was at right-back in a four-man defence with Jordan Spence and Paul Digby dropping to the bench.
Andre Dozzell was left out of the 18, while Grant Ward started on the right of midfield with Tom Lawrence on the left. Brett Pitman returned to the side alongside Freddie Sears up front.
David McGoldrick and Teddy Bishop were both among the subs having recovered from hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
New signing Danny Rowe was at the game but wasn’t involved, while Steven Taylor’s international clearance is yet to come through and the former Newcastle man is unlikely to be available before Saturday’s home game with Reading.
In heavy rain on a very slippery pitch, Preston midfielder Daniel Johnson hit the game’s first shot over the bar from just outside the area in the second minute following a corner.
The Lilywhites put the Blues under some early pressure with Town taking several attempts to clear the danger.
Hugill, understood to have been the subject of a rebuffed £2 million bid from the Blues this week, threatened for the first time in the seventh minute when Aiden McGeady, who had made a lively start, found him with an excellent cross from the left but the former Port Vale man headed just over from six yards.
Preston full-back Marnick Vermijl picked up the game’s first booking on 14 for a foul on Skuse as the midfielder, who was playing ahead of Diagouraga, broke forward.
Following the freekick, Emmanuel played in Sears on the right and his cross eventually fell to Jonas Knudsen on the left but the Dane’s shot was blocked.
The Blues were starting to get into the game and on 16 they went in front via another contender in Tom Lawrence’s personal Goal of the Season competition.
The on-loan Leicester man cut inside from the left, taking the ball between two defenders as he did so, before smashing a powerful right-foot shot across Lilywhites keeper Chris Maxwell which bulged the inside of the net.
The Welshman’s eighth goal of the season, which even one or two of the home fans applauded, was right up there among the best of what’s becoming one of the outstanding loan spells at Town.
Marked by two opponents? Tight angle? 😮 It doesn't matter to @Official_ITFC midfielder @TomLawrence99! pic.twitter.com/0di3TexWmi– Football On 5 (@FootballOn5) January 28, 2017
Lawrence created an opportunity for Sears on 21 with the Blues having been on top after the goal. The 23-year-old cleverly played the ball into the path of the former West Ham man, who ran on to the edge of the box before hitting a low shot which was too close to Maxwell, who claimed.
Hugill shot wide on 25 then, with Berra and the Preston frontman both grounded following clash of heads, referee Steven Martin allowed play to continue and Paul Gallagher hit a low effort which Bialkowski claimed.
In the 27th minute Hugill showed Shefki Kuqi-esque desire to close down as skipper Luke Chambers played the ball back to Bialkowski and blocked the keeper’s kick.
McGeady shot over on 36 with the home side having a fair bit of the ball but with Bialkowski not having been tested further. Three minutes later, the Irish international sent another effort well over.
On 40 Town went close to adding to their lead when Sears cleverly worked his way in on goal on the left of the box. Vermijl looked to have snuffed out the danger but the one-time Colchester man tenaciously got himself back on the ball and tried to squeeze home between the full-back and keeper Maxwell, who just managed to divert the ball past his post.
Preston almost got back on terms a minute later when Ben Pearson volleyed McGeady’s left-wing cross towards goal but hammered the ball against Hugill and it flew wide. Had it not struck Hugill, Pearson’s shot looked destined to hit the net.
That was the final chance of what had been a fairly even half. Preston had started well but the Blues were playing themselves more into the game when Lawrence slammed home his latest stunner.
From there the Lilywhites looked to take the game to Town but their only real chance was Pearson’s late shot which Hugill blocked, while the Blues looked a danger on the break and Sears was unfortunate not to double their lead having battled hard to eke out his opportunity.
The home side were first to threaten after the break, Gallagher finding Robinson with a clever pass but the midfielder shot straight at Bialkowski.
Kevin Bru replaced the tiring Diagouraga on 58, the Frenchman having put in a solid if unspectacular display on his debut. For Preston Jermaine Beckford took over from Gallagher.
Chances were rare at both ends with the teams largely cancelling one another out but on 70 Pitman curled over from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later, the former AFC Bournemouth man sent strike partner Sears away on the right and the ex-Hammer won a corner from which a loose ball fell to Pitman, who shot over when he will feel he might have done better. Seconds later, the Town number 11 was replaced by McGoldrick.
As the game moved into its final 15 minutes the home side began to get on top and put the Blues under pressure with Bialkowski saving sharply from McGeady after the ex-Everton man had got beyond Knudsen.
Moments later, the Irishman stood up a cross to the far post and skipper Tom Clarke’s header was deflected wide.
Kieffer Moore replaced Sears for the final 11 minutes with the Blues still hanging on to their lead, desperately at times, Berra throwing himself in front of a powerful McGeady strike.
On 87 Bialkowski dropped a cross from the right when under pressure and Beckford hit a shot which was blocked by a defender with the keeper grounded.
Lawrence went looking for his second goal of the game soon afterwards but shot straight at Maxwell.
But Preston continued to put the Blues under pressure and in the 89th minute they equalised. Horgan crossed from the right, the ball took a flick on its way over and, perhaps inevitably, it was Hugill who was there to take a touch and confidently slam home from close range.
There was no time for either side to win it and in the end a draw was probably a fair result on the balance of the match.
Town will have felt they would have done enough to deserve the points had they held on, while Preston will believe they put the Blues under pressure for long spells of the second half and were worthy of a point.
The result sees Town remain 14th in the Championship - 10 points from the relegation zone and 10 points from the play-offs - ahead of Tuesday's home game against Derby and next Saturday's visit by Reading.
Preston: Maxwell, Vermijl (Makienok 78), Clarke (c), Huntington, Spurr, Gallagher (Beckford 65), Pearson, Johnson, McGeady, Robinson (Horgan 58), Hugill. Unused: Lindegaard, Boyle, Browne, May.
Town: Bialkowski, Knudsen, Chambers (c), Berra, Skuse, Diagouraga (Bru 58), Ward, Lawrence, Emmanuel, Pitman (McGoldrick 74), Sears (Moore 80). Unused: Gerken, Bishop, Spence, Digby. Referee: Steven Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 10,656 (Town: 365).