Preston North End and Ipswich Town played out a 2-2 thriller in front of a packed Deepdale as Alan Irvine's side brought their home campaign to an end.

Jim Magilton's side arrived in the North West knowing that they needed the points to maintain their Play-Off push but Irvine's men lived up to the promise that they would be no pushovers.

Tommy Miller scored yet again against North End, the club that paid his wages during a spell on loan last season, but North End hit back through Chris Brown before Neil Mellor smashed the Lilywhites in front. But the Tractor Boys threw everything but the kitchen sink at North End, it looked like PNE had held out but in the 87th minute of the game Jonathan Walters slotted past Lonergan to level matters.

It was real end-to-end stuff for North End, a fitting climax to what has been a rollercoaster ride of a season.

The North End boss sprung a couple of surprises ahead of the match when Chris Brown was named in the starting line-up and that inclusion meant that there was no place in the 16 for Craig Beattie. As expected, Neal Trotman and Michael Hart both made their home debuts and Lewis Neal and Richard Chaplow both retained their place in the side.

Two minutes into the match and Trotman almost marked his home debut and his 21st birthday with a goal. It came after McKenna whipped a free-kick in from mid-way into the Ipswich half, Trotman was one of a group of players to go for the ball and he skimmed a header goalwards but it bounced a couple of yards the wrong side of the post.

Eleven minutes into the match and the Tractor Boys were ahead. It came after Andy Lonergan had pulled off a world class save to deny Ipswich in the first instance, Hayes crossing deep to the far post and Quinn powering a header towards goal that the keeper did brilliantly to tip round the post. From the resultant corner the ball was swung into the box and headed away by Mawene but Tommy Miller from 26 yards out drilled a low shot through a melee of players and beyond Lonergan into the bottom corner.

Preston created an opportunity of their own down the left flank when Chaplow sent Lewis Neal clear into the box, the winger squared the ball into the six yard box but there was no Preston man there to poke the ball home. Moments later Chris Brown received the ball in the box with his back to goal and though his overhead kick may have been a little ambitious it still forced Bywater into a save.

Good build-up play from North End in the 23rd minute created a chance from 15-yards out for Richard Chaplow. It was Lewis Neal who floated the ball to the edge of the box, Chris Sedgwick chested the ball down into the path of Chaplow and his shot was half volleyed towards goal but Bywater did well to hold on to the ball.

Preston's best chance of the opening half hour came right on the stroke of 30 minutes. It started when Michael Hart swung a great cross towards the back post and Neal nodded the ball back across goal. With his back to goal Chris Brown tried a cheeky back-heel towards goal, that was blocked but it came straight out to Neil Mellor and his shot from eight yards out was well saved by Bywater, the rebound came out Sedgwick and he tried placing beyond the keeper but it was deflected a yard or so wide.

PNE's equaliser came in the 34th minute of the game and it arrived wrapped with plenty of good fortune. Brown received the ball in plenty of space 30-yards out and with no Ipswich man seemingly keen to tackle him he nudged the ball forward and unleashed a speculative effort towards goal, the ball took a wicked deflection off of De Vos and with Bywater heading in the opposite direction the ball landed in the back of the net.

Brown could have made it 2-1 four minutes later, Sedgwick, on the right-flank, cut inside onto his left foot and delivered the perfect cross for a big target man, Brown rose unmarked and powered his header towards goal, but it was just too high and bounced on top of the net with Bywater nowhere near it.

Ipswich enjoyed a rare sortie into North End territory three minutes before the break and Alan Quinn tested Lonergan's reflexes once again when he unleashed shot from 20-yards out, it was straight down the keeper's throat and he did well to hold onto the ball.

Jim Magilton's men started the second half knowing that results elsewhere around the country were conspiring against them and knowing that they needed a win. And they started like a side determined to get that win. Pablo Counago bundled his way into the North End box and lobbed the ball beyond Lonergan, the ball took what seemed like an age to get towards goal but it bounced off the inside of the post and bounced along the goal-line before being cleared by Hart. Ipswich were determined to get the goal and moments later Alan Quinn fired an effort at goal that spun into the side-netting.

It took North End a little while to get into the game in the second half but their first real opportunity came on 65 minutes when Neil Mellor ran onto a Brown flick-on, the striker still had plenty to do but he bundled his way to the edge of the box before unleashing a shot that forced Bywater into a save low to his left.

Ipswich though were enjoying the best chances and Counago missed a guilt-edged chance on 68 minutes when Alan Lee got time and space down the right to slam the ball across the six-yard box, Counago had the goal at his mercy but he couldn't even get the slightest touches on the ball to divert it into the net.

It was real end-to-end stuff at Deepdale and PNE responded by launching an attack of their own, Chris Sedgwick got space on the right and he delivered a waist-height ball into the six-yard box, Chris Brown stooped to head but the ball was cleared to the edge of the box where Mellor volleyed a shot straight back towards goal, Lewis Neal inches away from glancing it into the back of the net.

As Ipswich pushed forward for the goal that would keep their Play-Off dream alive Preston got more and more space to exploit. Chris Brown put Chaplow the right side of the Ipswich defence but his cross-cum-shot neither threatened the goal or found a PNE shirt.

Alan Irvine swapped things around a little on 76 minutes when he sent on Simon Whaley for Lewis Neal and the winger made an immediate impact.

Whaley was played in down the left flank by Chris Brown, he held the ball up a little while the cavalry arrived, turned his man and with his right-boot clipped the ball across goal to where three North End shirts were waiting, Chaplow miss-hit his shot but the ball fell kindly for Neil Mellor and he wasted no time in smashing it into the roof of the net.

That goal looked to have disheartned Ipswich but they weren't quite done, with four minutes left on the clock Owen Garvan slotted Jonathan Walters right down the centre of the pitch and the former Bolton and Blackburn man coolly slotted the  ball beyond Lonergan to set up a grandstand finish.

Jim Magilton's side piled forward but they lacked a killer ball into the box and North End held firm to ensure they had an unbeaten end to the campaign at Deepdale.