Sheffield Wednesday come from two goals down to pick up a useful point in a 2-2 draw with Preston at Deepdale.
Former Preston boss enjoy returns to old stamping ground
Alan Irvine's return to Deepdale proved to be a happy one as his Sheffield Wednesday side produced a stirring comeback to draw 2-2 with Preston.
It was Irvine's first return to the team that sacked him in surprising fashion in December, and he looked set to witness an unhappy reunion as Neil Mellor fired Preston into a 29th-minute lead.
Influential midfielder Paul Coutts doubled the Whites' advantage eight minutes after the restart, although Wednesday pulled one back when Tommy Miller's speculative 53rd minute effort found a way into the net.
The visitors secured a valuable point for their manager four minutes later when Marcus Tudgay struck with an excellent finish.
Established control
Irvine lost winger Jermaine Johnson to injury after just nine minutes, replacing him with Tom Soares, but the visitors should have soon led when Luke Varney headed Eddie Nolan's cross straight at goalkeeper Andy Lonergan.
Moments later, Preston winger Ross Wallace found Matt James and the on-loan Manchester United midfielder drove a 25-yard shot narrowly over the crossbar.
Tudgay saw a close-range strike saved by Lonergan in the 24th minute before Preston established control through Mellor's clinical opener.
Coutts' delightful pass dissected the Wednesday defence and allowed Billy Jones to strike at goal.
Jones' low shot was blocked by Wednesday skipper Darren Purse but Mellor tucked away the rebound with a low right-foot shot.
Ten minutes before the break, Mellor almost doubled Preston's advantage with a powerful run forward and left-foot drive which Lee Grant tipped over the bar.
Roared on
The onus was on Wednesday to find a response after the break but Preston struck again in the 53rd minute when Coutts engineered space inside Wednesday's 18-yard box and squeezed a low right-foot shot past Grant from an acute angle.
The goal seemed to jolt Wednesday into life and four minutes later they were off the mark when Lonergan inexplicably allowed Miller's 30-yard piledriver to slip into the net.
The Owls continued to pour forward and were rewarded on the hour when Tudgay took advantage of another defensive slip in the home ranks and clipped a delightful finish over the advancing Lonergan and into the net.
Wednesday, roared on by a sizeable contingent of travelling fans, looked the more likely victors as the game wore on.
Lonergan produced fine saves to deny substitute Leon Clarke twice in quick succession in the closing stages as Irvine was forced to settle for a point.
