John Smith's PNE fans' panel view: A determined display that rewarded the travelling fans

Before this game we were at the crossroads and staring down the barrel of the abyss.

My mind also contained the unsavoury thought that relegation would mean the gloating jibe that PNE stands for ‘Premier Never Ever’ being intensified on social media, not to mention comments from the numerous paid-up members of the Sky TV Preston and District branches of the Liverpool and Manchester United supporters clubs.

We had been 12 points clear of the relegation zone with 11 games left, looking all set for a finishing position somewhere around the middle of the table.

One win in 14 games had put our club on the brink of a collapse of Devon Loch proportions, but Saturday was a day when some pride was restored after what – in general – has been a largely disappointing season, apart from the very good cup runs.

The team’s gritty and determined display, which I thought was one of their best on the road in recent months, made it a day to remember for our fans who had journeyed down for a lunchtime kick-off.

They were the club’s 12th man as requested, being very vocal in cheering their team during their hour of need and must have surely inspired the players out on the pitch.

It was a final game of the season to remember as, although smaller in numbers, we silenced the home side’s fans for large parts of the game.

As far as entering the abyss went, we never really had more than a toe end in it – especially after Emil Riis put us into the lead and with Luton losing 3-1 at half-time to West Brom.

The fans also gave Ryan Ledson a great send-off by singing ‘Ryan Ledson is a White’ at the end of the game, with Ched Evans also joining in the chant as he stood next to an emotional Ledson on the pitch.

Ledson gets my vote for man of the match, having delivered a real blood and guts performance which our midfield has sometimes lacked without him in recent weeks.

The draw meant that both sets of supporters left the stadium in a joyous mood, with the home fans heading for their fan zone while – like the rest of our delighted fans – I was getting ready to head up the M5 feeling relieved and pleased that we had delivered when it mattered.

It might not have been a ‘Great Escape’ of Steve McQueen proportions but, had we dropped into League One, there was no guarantee that we would have made a swift return back to the Championship.

I was also of the opinion that relegation would have been a financial disaster which could have set our club back years.

During our best period in modern times under Billy Davies, we were a genuine Championship force to be reckoned with but this has not been the case since we were promoted back 10 years ago.

The flood of Premier League parachute money has meant we effectively returned to the division as second-class citizens and, with a small budget, we have to consistently beat the odds each season just to finish in mid-table.

Having said this, the sight of Bristol City’s fans celebrating reaching the play-offs for the first time since they were promoted with us 10 years ago gives rise to my belief that this is not impossible for us to achieve – and something for which we should definitely be aiming.

For now, I am relieved and thankful – feeling like an artist who has just received a blank canvas to paint on.

The picture of our 11th consecutive Championship season might not be a masterpiece, but one thing which is certain is that it will not feature Vertu Trophy games or have trips to Blackpool and Wigan on it.