Memory match: Ipswich 2 PNE 3, October 2006

They turned the contest on its head in a 12-minute spell, going from 2-0 behind to lead 3-2.

David Nugent started the fightback with his customary goal against the Suffolk side.

Central defender Liam Chilvers headed them level, before a fine Simon Whaley strike completed the job.

The victory lifted North End into second place in the Championship table.

However good they were in the second half, PNE had been awful for the opening 45 minutes.

They conceded twice and could have easily gone in for their half-time brew further behind.

Ipswich took the lead in the 10th minute through PNE old boy Jonathan Macken.

Matt Hill’s challenge on Mark Noble in the box saw referee Paul Melin point to the penalty spot.

Macken, who was on loan from Crystal Palace at the time, sent Preston keeper Carlo Nash the wrong way with the penalty.

The lead was doubled with 37 minutes on the clock, Alan Lee getting above Hill to send a header past Nash.

Graham Alexander had to clear a Matt Richards shot off the line, Nash having flapped at a cross.

Richards also shot wide when it looked easier to score.

The interval team-talk from North End manager Paul Simpson was to work an absolute treat. Aware that Ipswich had been hammered 5-1 by West Bromwich Albion three days earlier, Simpson sensed that the hosts could be fragile if North End pulled one back.

That proved to be the case, the comeback starting eight minutes into the second half.

A long ball forward was chased by Nugent out of hope, rather than expectation of reaching it.

Ipswich defender Fabian Wilnis had it covered and just needed to guide a header back to his keeper Lewis Price.

But Wilnis’ header fell short of its intended target and Nugent pounced, nipping in to fire a first-time shot past Price.

It ended an eight-match barren run for Nugent in front of goal.

Within three minutes, the visitors were on level terms as Chilvers chose a good time to score his first goal in Preston colours.

Alexander pumped a free-kick long from the halfway line, Chilvers climbed to meet it and looped a header over Price, who had ventured off his line. Chilvers saluted striker Danny Dichio for the part he played in the goal.

He said: “Danny made a great run to take Jason de 
Vos out of the way and left me free with a couple of smaller lads.

“I got my head to it and I could see it loop over their keeper as I fell over.”

With their tails well and truly up, North End took the lead in the 65th minute to stun the home support.

Whaley collected the ball out wide, darted in-field and struck a beauty of a shot past Price into the net.

PNE held on to their lead, although it needed a late Nash save to block a shot from sub Billy Clarke.

Post-match, North End boss Simpson said: “We said at half-time that if we got a goal back quickly we wouldn’t just have to think of drawing, we could actually go on and win it.

“That wasn’t pie in the sky, we really believed that.

“A 2-0 lead is actually a bit of a dodgy scoreline.

“Getting our first goal so soon gave us a massive lift and got us on the front foot.”