The way we coped with the millions of Bournemouth gives us some cheer,Preston supporter Tim Mercer feeling positive about the point against the Cherries

Please do not misunderstand and label this fan as unnecessarily negative.

I for one genuinely believe that ‘teams like Preston’ have suffered disproportionately in the current climate.

In my view a bunch of honest players, who did not cost anywhere near £100m, raise their game on a regular basis in front of the faithful.

And so it proved in the first half of this fixture. Bournemouth looked dominant in the final third, in frankly what looked like an unequal contest, and they could probably count themselves unfortunate only one goal to the good at half-time.

In part this was due to yet more fine shot-stopping saves by on-loan keeper Daniel Iverson; surely one of our best temporary signings for many a year.

What a difference a half can make, especially following the introductions of Sean Maguire and Anthony Gordon from the bench in the 66th minute.

Gordon unsettled the visitors with his clever twists and turns around previously comfortable defenders, whilst Maguire was able to give more support to Ched Evans up front. Evans continues to impress and his flick-on in the first half was of the highest quality which nearly gave Preston an undeserved equaliser.

So it was no great surprise when an unmarked Daniel Johnson broke forward to finish with one of his trademark left foot shots to bring the scores level. I have to be honest and say I would not have been displeased to see DJ subbed before this moment.

Following all the ‘on-off’ saga of him signing his new contract he has not been the same player we know and love … maybe this will mark a turning point.

So, some reasons to be cheerful in an otherwise forgettable season.

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