A late strike by Joe Garner allowed Preston North End to claim a 1-1 draw at home to Notts County in their opening League One fixture of the season at Deepdale.
Both teams started tentatively, but soon Preston came into their own and began asserting themselves, with several corners coming the way of the home side.
In the 18th minute, Andrew Little dragged a shot just wide of the far post from inside the box, while just six minutes later, new Notts goalkeeper Roy Carroll had to be at his best to palm away a Paul Gallagher effort.
Preston continued to turn the screw, as Josh Brownhill and Neil Kilkenny were next to test the ex-Manchester United stopper.
The Magpies countered through Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Jake Cassidy, whose shot was saved, before young defender Haydn Hollis headed the rebound over from just three yards.
Preston were unlucky to end the half without registering a goal, with Alan Browne smashing an effort against the Notts bar, and the home side would soon rue their missed opportunities.
Just six minutes after the restart, Cassidy tucked the ball into the North End net to open the scoring.
However, the away side were made to sweat in a bid to retain their clean sheet, with Preston continually coming forward, and ultimately it wasn't to be for Shaun Derry's side.
With just one minute of the game left, former Nottingham Forest man Garner struck to level the scores and ensure that both sides would split the points at the final whistle.
Giuseppe Labellarte
