RE-WIND a year and it was Albion's home win against Preston which sparked an upturn in their Championship fortunes after a slow start to the season.

They could not quite repeat their narrow victory at Withdean 12 months ago but manager Mark McGhee must be hoping a hard-earned point at a ground where they normally get none will launch a similar improvement.

Change was the operative word at Deepdale on Saturday. McGhee changed just about everything you can think of.

The customary preparations for an away game were binned, beginning with the Seagulls taking flight rather than travelling by coach again after gruelling journeys to Hull and Shrewsbury.

They deliberately arrived later at the ground than usual and McGhee swapped his two-piece suit for a tracksuit.

Coach Dean White was away on a scouting mission and goalkeeping coach John Keeley hospitalised for hernia surgery, so McGhee conducted the warm-up with his sidekick Bob Booker.

There were five changes to the team humbled by that extra-time exit from the Carling Cup at Shrewsbury, including a first start for more than a year for Albert Jarrett.

Most significantly of all, as in the opening day deadlock at Derby, was a change in the way equality was achieved.

Albion could have returned from Lancashire with a first ever League victory in 12 visits to Preston had home skipper Graham Alexander not stationed himself on the near post to nod clear Guy Butters' firm header from Leon Knight's corner with 20 minutes left.

Butters scored the only goal in that memorable victory at West Ham last season which, like several other results earned away from Withdean, was carved out in backs-to-the-wall fashion.

McGhee might easily have gone down the same route on Saturday by opting for height and strength, most obviously with Mark McCammon up front following his goal and powerful performance at Shrewsbury.

Instead he surprised us all, picking Jarrett on the left, Sebastien Carole on the right, moving Dean Hammond into the middle of midfield alongside Richard Carpenter and Leon Knight back up front to form surely the smallest strike force in the country with Jake Robinson.

There was no place for captain Charlie Oatway other than on the bench, Jason Dodd taking over the armband, and no place at all for Colin Kazim-Richards, the Coca-Cola kid who has yet to fizz.

It was, McGhee acknowledged, a "bit of a risk", particularly against a team as imposing as Preston, but it worked.

"I looked at the team just with our normal personnel and I saw us coming here to sit back and maybe eventually being beaten," he said.

"I picked a team trying to give us a chance to win the game, with a bit more energy, movement and pace.

"Considering it was lightweight against a big, strong, athletic team, I thought they coped well.

"It was hard on Mark (McCammon) given that he had such a terrific game in the week, but we felt their two centre halves (Claude Davis and Youl Mawene) were made for him and that Jake and Leon, with Seb and Albert, might just give them more problems.

"I think they did. I think our system upset them a wee bit, put them out of their rhythmn."

Preston, missing the craft of American Eddie Lewis on the left and the intelligence of Richard Cresswell up front following their moves to Leeds, were certainly a shadow of the side which pasted Albion 3-0 towards the end of last season on their way to the play-off final.

The majority of their efforts were from long range and Paul McShane and Butters did an excellent job against David Nugent and Danny Dichio.

Preston should have nicked the points at the death, first when Mawene headed over from four yards and then with the last kick of the match, sub Lewis Neal shooting wide of the far post in a breakaway after McCammon, on for the injured Dodd, gave the ball away deep in opposition territory.

"We didn't deserve to lose the game," McGhee said. "It would have been a tragedy if we had. Our back four was a limping Jason Dodd, McShane, Butts and Reidy (Paul Reid) who is a right-sided midfield player cum rightback now playing leftback. They coped brilliantly against very difficult opponents.

"There are different ways of getting clean sheets. You can get them by being hard to beat but this was more satisfying than a team simply put there to stop the opposition."

Jarrett, a talented enigma, played his part for an hour. "Albert is the one that has that pace and in the first half I thought he did well," McGhee said. "He carried the ball to them, he gave us an outlet.

"My only criticism is that he needs to be more pro-active, doing the job himself without us screaming at him from the side but he did the job asked of him and I was pleased with him."

Away points at Derby and Preston, divided by an unfortunate defeat at Hull, are pleasing enough as well. The change Albion need now is at Withdean, a first win to follow a first clean sheet after losing to Reading and only drawing with Crewe.

History might then be about to repeat itself with a Preston-inspired improvement.