AFTER pulling off the save of his life to keep Preston in the lead, David Lucas chose the most important game of the season to commit his biggest howler.

Four minutes after receiving a round of applause for an acrobatic save, the England Under 20 keeper failed to collect a speculative shot from Bob Taylor, who scored from the left wing to keep the score level at the end of the first leg - the 1-1 score leaving Preston with it all to do in the second leg.

Until that moment, Preston seemed to be wrapping things up neatly after emerging the better of the two teams after a nail-biting first half.

Several injured players were back in action, including Lee Cartwright - only his second game since February - who notched up North End's first real chance on 29 minutes when he managed to nod a David Eyres cross just wide of the post.

Eyres then committed a similar offence, as did Cartwright before PNE got the Gills into a real stew when Alexander put in a superb cross which Mark Rankine couldn't get past a mound of three players. The rebound was cleared by Mick Galloway.

However, North End were lucky to end the first half on level terms.

A Gillingham corner from the boot of Andy Hessenthaler on 17 minutes had the home team panicking as skipper Sean Gregan - who was lucky to stay on the field after picking up a booking on 20 seconds, which he followed up with a tackle worthy of a second yellow - played the ball across the face of Lucas' goal, prompting Graham Alexander to make a great headed clearance on the line before Gillingham could snatch a goal.

Then, Lucas managed to grab the ball from Carl Asaba's feet after he had carved the North End defence apart.

And, on 31 minutes, Guy Butters had a dangerous free kick which, more through luck than judgement, Lucas saved - off his forehead!

On 34 minutes, Gregan saw a spectacular shot from 30 yards miss its target by just a foot. It wasn't close enough to score, but it impressed the fans into singing their hearts out.

All square at half-time and the fans were calling for the game to go up a gear and as the fans chanted louder, so the North End performance improved.

Veteran winger David Eyres showed the youngster how it was done when, on 56 minutes, the ever-impressive Alexander sent a wonderful cross through to Eyres from the right who leaped up and nodded Preston ahead.

Preston continued to look in control until Hodge and Brown arrived as subs for Gillingham.

The fresh pairs of legs seemed to give the Gills a lift, and on 76 minutes Lucas pulled off the save of the game when Southall found himself in space at the far post after Taylor had crossed in.

Lucas' acrobatics kept the ball out, but things soon took a turn for the worse.

On 81 minutes Taylor charged forward surviving challenges from the impressive Michael Jackson, Sean Gregan and Michael Appleton (sub for Kurt Nogan) before he curled the ball between Jackson and Murdock and towards goal.

Lucas should have had it, but somehow it went passed him and as one side of the ground celebrated, three were stunned into silence.

North End should have had a penalty a minute on when Cartwright found himself charging forward, only for Southall to remove any impending danger by handling the ball.

Preston refused to give up, with Ludden sending a low shot across the face of goal before it wandered wide.

1-1 at the end of 90 minutes and North End found themselves charged with a mighty task for the second leg.

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