Preston North End showed plenty of character and determination to rescue a point in trying circumstances at Deepdale.

Alan Irvine's side looked like they were heading for a third consecutive defeat after Sheffield Wednesday had endured wave after wave of PNE attacks in the second half after the Owls had taken a first half lead. But Jon Parkin popped up in the second minute of injury time to stab home an equaliser after Chris Sedgwick's shot was cleared off the line.

It looked like being a night to forget for the Lilywhites when Wednesday grabbed an early goal through Francis Jeffers in the first half. It was a strike against the run of play but one which rocked North End back on their heels after a vibrant opening to the game.

To make matters worse for Preston, Irvine was forced into replacing one of his most effective weapons, Ross Wallace being withdrawn with a hamstring strain. And when semi-fit Youl Mawene came on to replace the injured Andrew Davies it was a case of all hands to the pump.

But despite having to change the shape of the team on more than one occasion, PNE piled on the pressure in a frantic second half. The ball just wouldn't fall kindly for North End's three-pronged attack and it looked like being one of those nights.

Parkin's last gasp strike proved to be the saviour though and on a night when only two of the top eight teams won, this point may prove crucial come the end of the season.

Preston made three changes to the team which had lost at Palace at the weekend. Suspended duo Paul McKenna and Jon Parkin both returned whilst Chris Sedgwick was back in the starting eleven, only two weeks after undergoing hernia surgery.

Alan Irvine had asked for his side to come out fighting and that looked to be the case after a strong start from the Lilywhites with plenty of width on both sides of the pitch. Chris Sedgwick looked in lively form fresh from his hernia surgery and it was his ball that deflected towards the near post where Wallace was waiting to pull off an impudent back-heel across the face of goal. Unfortunately there was no Preston marksman lurking to turn the creativity into a goal.

North End were dominant in the opening quarter of an hour and Paul McKenna marked his return to the side with a low effort that skimmed the greasy surface but was well wide of Lee Grant's goal.

Preston were definitely at it from the off and Ross Wallace was the next to test his luck from distance, picking the ball up deep and hitting a low effort through a crowd that Grant again dealt with quite comfortably.

The Lilywhites were in trouble in the 22nd minute, it came after St. Ledger had played a ball back to Lonergan and the keeper's clearance only found a Wednesday shirt. The Owls were straight on the counter and it took two good blocks, the first from Davies, the second from St. Ledger to deny Francis Jeffers a strike at goal.

But it was the Owls who broke the deadlock on the half hour mark. Sean McAllister span his marker on the right of the End box and sent a really dangerous ball into the six yard box, Francis Jeffers was waiting for it and he turned it beyond Lonergan and into the back of the net.

With Ross Wallace off the field receiving treatment Darren Carter occupied a more left-sided position in the midfield and it was from that area that the midfielder produced a decent effort at goal. Cutting in, he beat Lewis Buxton and whilst being dragged back unleashed a low, right-footed shot towards Grant's near post. The Wednesday keeper got down well to save.

Andy Lonergan had to be at his four minutes before the break after Michael Gray was invited to drift inside and rather than swing in a cross, the former Blackburn man unleashed a shot which was arrowing its way across the face of goal, Lonergan flung himself across goal and parried the ball wide for a corner with half of the Wednesday support off their seats thinking it was a goal.

North End had two fantastic opportunities as the game entered first half stoppage time. The first came when Elliott got a yard of space on the left of the box and chipped a ball across the face of goal, Parkin caused a nuisance but it was Jones who arrived late to poke out a leg and almost divert it past Grant. The ball was almost straight back into the box again, a great ball from Wallace, outswinger and Parkin muscled his way onto a header which clattered off the underside of the crossbar. Parkin had a second bite of the cherry but he just could not turn the ball home.

Alan Irvine's side were forced into a change after the break with Ross Wallace replaced by his fellow countryman Barry Nicholson. Wallace had pulled up midway though the first half and would play no further part in the match.

It was Wednesday though who would create the first chances of the second period. Johnson again looked lively and he burst down the left and hit a daisy cutter across the face of goal, Michael Gray found a yard of space and he scuffed a shot at goal that Lonergan did brilliantly to parry away from goal. The Owls returned again seconds later when Gray found Jeffers in acres of space eight yards out, the former Everton man spun and hit a powerful effort that only just cleared the crossbar.

Brian Laws' side were buoyant and on 50 minutes Johnson again threatened the North End goal. His pace took him away from his markers and into the box and from there he curled a shot with his right boot that beat Lonergan before clipping the outside of the North End post.

North End had Lonergan to thank once again in the 57th minute, a corner was swung in from the right and Jeffers was at the near post to flick a header down towards the goal-line, Lonergan instinctively got his legs to the ball to turn it away.

PNE made a couple of changes on the hour mark, firstly Mellor came on for Carter to add some firepower to the side and then a few moments later there was a forced change with Andrew Davies making way for Youl Mawene.

North End's new 4-3-3 formation was certainly asking plenty of questions of the Sheffield Wednesday side and as PNE got a head of steam up they played themselves deeper and deeper into Owls territory. On 77 minutes Jon Parkin looked like he had finally worked his way through the sold Sheffield backline but the ball just ran away from his striking foot as the Owls defenders closed in.

Wednesday made their first change of the evening when goalscorer Francis Jeffers was replaced by Akpo Sodje with nine minutes left on the clock.

The game entered the last five minutes and North End still pressed. Billy Jones playing a ball into the feet of Parkin and the big man, despite the close attentions of two Wednesday defenders, turned his man and hit a shot that took the slightest of deflections and just half a yard over the bar. Wednesday countered and Jermaine Johnson went almost the full length of the field before hitting a shot straight at Andy Lonergan.

The game entered stoppage time and the Lilywhites still held hope and one minute into injury time their prayers were answered. The ball was hit long and Mellor, Elliott and Parkin chased it, the ball was bouncing everywhere in the box but it just wouldn't fall for the Preston man, but Barry Nicholson arrived from nowhere to poke the ball into the path of Sedgwick, Sedg hit a shot goalwards, Grant saved but Jon Parkin was there to smash the ball into the back of the open net. A stunner in the dying moments.

North End wanted more and after an argument on the touchline involving Brian Laws and the referee the game restarted. Parkin wasn't done and again was given time and space to have a shot, this time from 25-yards out, it looked goalbound, but smashed the ball into the midriff of his own man. The chance was gone and the game was over.