Preston made it four games without defeat on Saturday afternoon, drawing 1-1 at home with Swansea City.
North End had more than a week to reflect on the 3-0 away win at Barnsley, and were hoping to take that form into a crucial home game against fellow playoff chasers Swansea.
It was a former Swan who gave North End the lead, as Scott Sinclair picked the ball up on the right, drove towards goal and whipped a left-footed strike into the net for his first Preston goal.
However, Swansea hit back quickly, grabbing an equaliser through Rhian Brewster. Andre Ayew broke the offside trap to go through on goal, and he squared for Brewster to score from close range.
Neither side could find the winner, leaving North End three points shy of the top six. A draw was deflating after two wins in a row, but at least another point is on the board.
Sinclar stole headlines with his goal, but Preston fans were in no doubt about who the real man of the match was – midfielder Ben Pearson.
Pearson’s brilliance isn’t exactly a secret at this point, as the North End star has been producing consistently excellent performances for more than three years now, but he’s really looking like a Premier League player in the Championship now.
Pearson was hailed on Twitter by Preston fans after his display against Swansea, branding him ‘different gravy’, ‘unbelievable’, 11/10′, ‘magnificent’ and ‘unreal’, even suggesting that it was his best game for the club so far.