Preston North End boss Alan Irvine saw his side come from behind to preserve their unbeaten record but he was overall disappointed with the way his team performed against Sheffield Wednesday.

A Richard Chaplow equaliser in the 77th minute helped snatch a point for Irvine's men but it was the first half display that gave the Preston boss plenty to think about.

"We didn't work hard enough in the first half," Irvine said, his side were 1-0 down after just 20 minutes when McAllister fired Brian Laws side ahead.

"Wednesday were worth their lead at half-time but I thought in the second half that we were a lot better, we definitely finished the game the stronger of the two teams and could well have won it.

"I said to them at half-time that that wasn't us, we were poor, we didn't play at the right kind of tempo, we didn't pass the ball as we have been doing all the way through pre-season and in the games so far this season but in the second half we were a lot better."

The Lilywhites looked a lot more comfortable in the second period of the game, but he revealed that there was no hairdryer treatment in the dressing room at the break, he saved his anger for the match officials from the touchline.

Irvine said: "There are different ways of reacting and you have to try and find the best way at the time and you are never really too sure whether it is a lot of harsh words and a lot of shouting and bawling or a calm head. I chose a calm head at half-time and I think that everyone would like to think that I went absolutely ballistic in there, throwing things around, but I didn't, I was fairly calm and I spoke to the lads about how we have got the good results that we have got so far.

"There were a few things which were a bit upsetting at times," the Gaffer said refering to some of the refereeing decisons.

"I try and keep calm but the game is an emotional game and sometimes it winds you up a little bit. I try not to look like an idiot jumping up and down. There were some big decisions which didn't go our way, we got away with one last week and people say that it evens itself out but I think there were several today that weren't the right decisions."

The game changed on the hour mark when Irvine sent Ross Wallace and Karl Hawley into the fray, both players made an impact but it was Wallace's pin-point pass which allowed Chris Sedgwick to set-up the winner.

"It was an exceptional pass, we have brought him here because we know about the quality that he has got and he showed that, he showed that with a lot of his deliveries from set-pieces. He's a terrific passer of the ball, he's a great crosser of the ball and we just need to try and get him up to the levels of fitness that the rest of the lads are at.

"It's not his fault, quite simply he started ten days behind everybody else and he came to us late, in terms of when the season was starting, he's been trying to catch up. Of course the other lads are playing in the games so it makes it that little bit harder for him to catch up."

The North End boss also had praise for Chris Sedgwick, the Sheffield born midfielder was arguably the man of the match against the team who he supported as a boy: "Chris was obviously looking forward to coming back, I don't know if everyone noticed but he didn't join in the celebrations afterwards so I guess that's a mark of respect for the club that he supported as a lad.

"He will have been delighted with the way he played, particularly in that second half, he showed a great deal of composure to create the goal.

"We changed his side, he has been playing well on the left-hand side so I wouldn't like to say it was just that, we passed the ball better in the second half, we retained control of the ball better and that gives your footballers a chance to play. In the first half we gave the ball back to Sheffield Wednesday far too cheaply, it gives your creative players a chance to play if you have got the ball down and you are making a few more passes."