Memory match: Preston North End v Bolton, October 2015

The Lilywhites and their Lancashire rivals met for the first time in 14 years on 
Halloween night 2015 with both sides drawing a blank.

The Sky cameras turned up next time around, as the sides repeated the feat last November.

Three years ago the two lowest scorers in the Championship at the time predictably could not find the back of the net.

This local derby was high on pace but low on quality, both sides missing a cutting edge in the final third.

There were chances at both ends but rarely were either goalkeeper stretched, Jordan Pickford troubled only towards the end when he saved from Gary Madine.

It was a fourth consecutive clean sheet for North End but in that run there were three goalless draws.

Bolton had the game’s first chance, Jay Spearing’s corner from the right played long to the far post where Shola Ameobi’s header went straight at Pickford.

Joe Garner was the creator of a sight of goal for North End in the 11th minute, the striker pulling the ball back for Marnick Vermijl who sliced a first-time shot well wide of the target.

Three minutes later, Garner tried his luck from 20 yards but the shot lacked power and rolled straight through to keeper Ben Amos.

A free-kick at the other end, swung in from the inside-left channel by Spearing, skimmed off the head of Ameobi and went over the bar.

With 25 minutes gone, Paul Gallagher’s corner from the right found Greg Cunningham in the middle, his header going on target but hitting team-mate Eoin Doyle in the six-yard box.

Calum Woods was a touch fortunate to avoid a red card when he brought down Max Clayton in full flight just outside the box after Bolton had broken forward on the counter-attack.

It looked like he was the last man but referee Dean Whitestone felt there was cover coming across for Woods and the colour of the card was yellow.

Daniel Johnson saw two shots in quick succession blocked by David Wheater as North End searched for a way through.

Liam Feeney got the ball stuck under his feet in front of goal after being picked out by a low cross from the left-wing, and as Bailey Wright took it away from him and cleared it upfield, Darren Pratley caught him with a late challenge.

That earned the Bolton skipper a yellow card and like the incident with Woods earlier, on another day could have been red.

After the interval Garner worked himself into a shooting position 20 yards out and struck a right-foot effort which forced Amos into a diving save, albeit a fairly comfortable one.

Johnson then tested Amos with a curling shot from 20 yards which the keeper got himself well positioned behind to save.

In the 77th minute, an awful pass across his own back line by Jose Manuel Cascado saw Jordan Hugill intercept and break forward, but with Johnson next to him screaming for a pass, Hugill chose to shoot from 20 yards which went straight at the keeper.

It needed a good save from Pickford to deny Bolton in the 84th minute, a low shot from substitute Madine held low down by the keeper.

Late pressure from North End was not able to produce a late winner.