The Tim Mercer column: Can the battling point against Albion be the tuning point in our fortunes?
As a collective the team were more aggressive from the off and let high-flying West Bromwich Albion know they were in for a proper game.
This was not going to be a routine win against a side at the bottom of the table for the Baggies.
North End harried and pressed at every opportunity with more energy and purpose. One instance in the first half in particular stood out when Alfie Devine flew into a diving tackle at full pelt to win the ball back and gee up the crowd.
The fact that it was Devine, not known for this style of play, made it all the more sweeter and acted as a signal that Graham Alexander is finally putting his stamp on a team low on confidence and everything else when he walked into the training ground at Euxton just a few weeks ago.
It was a nice change to go into the half-time break feeling we had at least matched a dangerous opposition hungry for further wins.
Apart from the unfortunate substitution of Devine by Andrew Moran at the start of the second half, the hosts continued to improve and create chances.
In the half’s opening minutes Johnny Kenny put a nice ball into Delano Burgzorg’s path who then shot first time to force a good save from the Baggies keeper.
In another attack Stanley Mills, flying down the right wing, put in a peach of a cross that curled around the back of the West Brom defence to the incoming Burgzorg who could only put the ball wide when he should have at least got it on target.
Substitute Jusef Erabi bizarrely wasted another good opportunity after doing all the hard work by winning the ball out on the far left when he wasn’t favourite.
Speeding alongside the byline towards goal, his powerful shot got nowhere near the target, going out for a throw-in instead!
However, he did help to win the corner that led to the goal that gave the Lilywhites the lead. From it, it was the excellent Leo Leroy’s flick-on to Andrew Hughes who ‘kneed’ it home to send the crowd wild.
Being late in the game it raised the possibility of only a second win, but it was not to be as the visitors equalised only four minutes later after Mills lost his man in the box.
Normally this would have been a real body blow, but by time of the final whistle the players were clapped off for finally putting together a meaningful display that felt to this fan like a turning point.
Also, it has to be said that in any other match the bizarre kung foo kick on Hughes in the area would be a nailed on penalty that for some reason the referee chose to ignore.
As a team, the intensity and levels did not drop for a change, with the players looking decidedly fitter to the extent that even Andrija Vukčević lasted the whole 90 minutes.
One of our better players in terms of his attacks and crosses down the left, he is renowned for having to be subbed as the battery runs down, but not this time – another small sign of maybe better times ahead? Let’s hope so.