Town will feel themselves lucky to have left Deepdale with a point after rarely looking their best against the Championship's fourth-placed side. The Lilywhites went ahead through David Nugent but Tommy Miller hit back for the Blues in the second half.

Skipper Jim Magilton dropped to the bench with Kevin Horlock taking over from him in the centre of midfield. Up front, James Scowcroft came in for the first appearance of his loan spell in place of the injured Shefki Kuqi.

The home side had the first serious chance of the game in the 10th minute when Chris Sedgwick volleyed a half-cleared corner wide.

There was a scare for Preston in the 15th minute when Fabian Wilnis crossed appeared too hot for keeper Gavin Ward to handle under pressure from Jason De Vos, however, the much-travelled stopper eventually held on.

Four minutes later, Paul McKenna was given a good chance to break the deadlock by David Nugent, the young striker laying the ball across the box to the midfielder. Fortunately for Town, a combination of De Vos and Naylor charged his shot down.

De Vos again caused uncertainty for keeper Ward in the 22nd minute, however, referee Matt Messias adjudged that a foul had been committed by the former Wigan man on this occasion.

McKenna had a 25-yard shot saved by Davis, before Scowcroft shot over the bar from a similar distance at the other end.

Ten minutes before the break, the home side went in front. Town were caught short of numbers as Nugent chased a long ball from Brian O'Neil before beating Davis with a low left foot shot.

Up to the goal the Blues had had a fair amount of possession without creating any serious chances, but after the goal the home side were very much in the ascendant. Preston might have gone two-up a minute before the break, Nugent turning and shooting only for Kelvin Davis to tip round the post.

Town were by no means at their best, all too often surrendering possession, and Joe Royle made two changes at the break, Jim Magilton and Dean Bowditch coming on for Kevin Horlock and Darren Currie. Bowditch moved into a wide left role and Magilton into his central midfield berth.

Preston felt they ought to have had a penalty soon after the break, a cross from the left hitting Richard Naylor on the hand as the defender challenged for the ball with David Nugent. The North End players were adamant it ought to have been a spotkick but referee Messias waved their protests away.

Bowditch might have done better in the 54th minute, volleying well over when he had time to take the ball down a strike a more controlled effort. On 66 Sedgwick became the first player to get his name in the book for a foul on Dean Bowditch.

Three minutes later, the Blues were back on terms with their first decent chance of the half. Tommy Miller, who always seems to score against Preston, was played in by Fabian Wilnis on the right and hit a shot which Ward saved. The Town midfielder was quickest to react to the loose ball and stabbed home. It was a goal the Blues hadn't really deserved on the balance of play.

Bowditch wasn't too far away from a spectacular second soon after, as Town started to look more like themselves. Wilnis crossed from the right and the England U19 hit a volley which cannoned off a defender for a corner.

Preston keeper Darren Ward suffered a nasty injury in the 78th minute when he collided with Ian Westlake as the midfielder slid in after the ball. Ward took a blow to the face and was in some distress as he left the field on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.

Referee Messias felt there had been no foul and debutant sub goalkeeper Chris Neal restarted play with an uncontested dropball.

Neal, whose loan with non-league Tamworth was ended this week, was quickly in the action, Wilnis crossing from the right and the keeper stopping Darren Bent's effort at the far post. The Town striker really should have scored.

With four minutes of normal time remaining, James Scowcroft picked up a yellow card for what appeared to be a perfectly good tackle on Sedgwick.

Preston sub Dickson Etuhu hit a 30-yard shot only just wide of Kelvin Davis's post as the game entered five minutes of injury time.

Patrick Agyemang became the second North End player in the referee's book for a foul on Fabian Wilnis just to the right of the penalty area, but the Blues wasted the freekick. Late on Sedgwick hit a 30-yard shot wide of Davis's goal.

A disappointing performance from Town who rarely hit their best against a busy and tenacious Preston side. The Blues were only really on top in the early stages and for a shot spell after Tommy Miller had scored the equalising goal. The long delay caused by Ward's very serious looking injury appearing to disrupt Town's momentum just as they were getting going.

The third game in a row in which Town have failed to show their top form but from which they have won seven points and have increased their lead at the top of the table to six points, at least until Wigan and Sunderland play their games on Saturday.

Town: Davis, Wilnis, Unsworth, De Vos, Naylor, Miller, Horlock (Magilton 46), Westlake, Currie (Bowditch 46), Bent, Scowcroft.

Photo: Action Images

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