Preston 1 Gillingham 1

A SWOLLEN face and a sore ear told the story behind Gillingham’s fortuitous draw at Preston on Saturday.

The swollen face belonged to mumps sufferer Dave Nugent, who dragged himself off his sick bed to leave Jason Brown red-faced for Preston’s opening goal. And the sore ear belonged to Gillingham skipper Paul Smith, who looped home his team’s late equaliser with the side of his head.

But it was the fans’ eyes that suffered the most as they were forced to watch a largely uninspiring display of football at Deepdale.

And, despite the wild celebrations that marked the extension of their unbeaten run to six games, Gillingham still found themselves back in the bottom three again at full time.

The pre-match build-up had suggested the two sides would serve up an appetising contest. Gills came out of the Easter break as the Championship’s form team while Preston had won 10 of their last 17 games.

And Preston started the game in a lively fashion, using Chris Sedgwick and USA international Eddie Lewis to provide width down the flanks and get in a succession of crosses.

Jason Brown fumbled a Sedgwick cross as early as the second minute but was able to re-gather, while Nugent and Richard Cresswell flashed headers wide in the early stages.

Nicky Southall released Nugent in the sixth minute with an underhit back pass but the North End striker shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Nugent was far sharper, though, when the ball fell to him in the box in the 27th minute.

The 19-year-old hadn’t trained for 10 days before the game because of mumps and had been kept in isolation in his Merseyside home until the day before the match.

But it was Brown who was left feeling sick when Nugent’s acrobatic volley came back off the post and hit the keeper on the back before crossing the line.

The North End announcer congratulated Brown on his first goal for Preston, while Nugent – whose swollen face has earned him the nickname Buzz Lightyear from teammates – claimed it as his own.

Either way, Preston were in front and the way Gillingham were playing it seemed only a matter of time before the Lancashire club increased their lead.

But for all their possession, Preston weren’t carving out too many chances. Nugent headed a Lewis cross over the bar on 35 minutes and Smith glanced a Lewis corner into his own side-netting three minutes later.

Gillingham had their only effort of the first-half when Chris Hope headed a Jay McEveley free-kick tamely into the hands of Preston debutant Carlo Nash.

Hope wasn’t around in the second-half, hauled off for Matt Jarvis, while Darius Henderson was replaced by Darren Byfield as Stan Ternent tried to shake up his side.

The first chance of the half fell North End’s way, with Brown pulling off the save of the match to deny Nugent his second goal on the hour mark.

Patrick Agyemang then came on as a substitute for the tiring Nugent and immediately seemed to cover more grass than in his entire career at Priestfield.

But Preston couldn’t find that elusive second goal that would have made the points safe, while Gillingham looked to going out with a whimper in a style reminiscent of the pre-Ternent games.

Just when it looked to be all over, substitute John Hills won a corner deep in injury time and Southall sent the ball to the back of the six-yard box.

Smith’s recent pleas for a new contract might have fallen on deaf ears but he showed his worth to his team when he somehow looped the ball off his own ear and over defender Graham Alexander.

The scenes of jubilation from Gills players and fans may have been tainted by later news that they were back in the relegation zone, following Coventry City’s 2-1 win at home against Brighton

And Gillingham will need to address the fact that they played terribly before they play at QPR tomorrow.

But they will have gained a huge confidence boost from the fact they’ve taken on another top-four side and got something from the game.

Gillingham: Brown, Nosworthy, Hope (Jarvis 46), Cox, McEveley, Southall, Smith, Flynn (Hills 83), Douglas, Sidibe, Henderson (Byfield 46). Subs Not Used: Banks, Crofts.

Attendance: 9,311.

* Listen to Stan Ternent speaking after the game to kmfm sports editor Simon Watts...