Preston North End 2, Albion 0

Albion have manfully overcome the gut-wrenching disappointment of going so close to promotion last season.

Now they need to learn the biggest lesson of all, not to let a blip develop into a more damaging blow to their ambitions.

The record 21-match unbeaten league start to last season ended with a home defeat by Middlesbrough.

It was followed by a draw and three more defeats before the end of January.

There is no need to panic, despite the mixture of wins and stalemates in 18 games stretching back to the beginning of September coming to a somewhat tame end in Lancashire.

The pursuers, led by in-form Leeds, will be cheering on Sheffield Wednesday at the Amex on Friday evening and hoping the deterioration continues in the game in hand at home to Cardiff four nights later.

They will all view Albion as a realistically more catchable target than Newcastle.

Chris Hughton's side must stop them in their tracks, make sure it is a forlorn wish by taking at least four points from the next six available.

The squad is deeper than it was a year ago, much deeper. And the difference in the level of performances home and away has been more pronounced than results imply.

Those who have watched Albion regularly on their travels this season will not be altogether surprised by this setback.

 

On several occasions they have won or drawn without playing well. The recent victories at Fulham and Birmingham spring immediately to mind, together with scraping past Wigan in October.

They have only been really convincing twice, at Sheffield Wednesday and at Bristol City once Steve Sidwell had set his sights from 50 yards.

A trip to Deepdale, where Albion have never won, felt like an accident waiting to happen, even more so when the team news filtered through.

The formality of Lewis Dunk's absence in completing a two-match suspension was accompanied by a couple of surprises. Gaetan Bong missed out through injury, Dale Stephens due to illness.

The latter's wait for the 250th start of his career will send into overdrive the enormous section marked speculation without foundation, bearing in mind the time of year and the summer history of Burnley's multiple bids.

It is important, in the interests of balance, to point out that Preston were, in fact, missing both of their central midfielders, Daniel Johnson because he was also unwell and Ben Pearson due to a ban.

Strong squads are designed for circumstances such as those Albion found themselves in. They coped well without Stephens earlier in the season in drawing at Derby and Reading, together with that stand-out success at Hillsborough.

It was the cumulative impact of losing three consistent members of the unbeaten sequence that was unsettling against durable opponents.

Preston definitely fall into that category. They do not possess quite enough quality to be top five material, but Simon Grayson has a robust and organised side capable of upsetting the established order on any given day. Especially with the leg-up of a soft, early lead.

It is doubtful if a defence with Dunk in it would have conceded in the manner Albion did in the 13th minute.

Paul Gallagher is good on set pieces, but it should be of less concern from out wide and a long way out, rather than the fringes of the penalty area.

Paul Huntington's ensuing header would have been greeted with jubilation by a rather large bunch of Geordies in a corner of West London, given that the central defender used to play for Newcastle.

Huntington's first goal since the play-off final against Swindon two seasons ago, although unhelpfully prompt, was not necessarily fatal.

Albion had, after all, fallen behind both at Birmingham and Fulham. Their capacity to limit a deficit has been habitual.

The Argus: The difference this time was conceding a second early in the second half (above) when perky full debutant Daryl Horgan, former Dundalk team-mate of the Seagulls' fringe Irishman Richie Towell, released Callum Robinson goal side of Bruno.

The menace of a red card lurked as Bruno tried to recover. Robinson obliterated the risk with a fine finish across David Stockdale which gave Preston breathing space.

Matches are invariably decided by competence or otherwise in both boxes. There was not much wrong with Albion's work in the middle third of the pitch, but promising attacking situations too often came to nothing.

Glenn Murray missed the target with a couple of headers at the end of both halves when well-placed and a bad day at the office was summed up by substitute Tomer Hemed (below) failing from the spot with the last kick of the match.

The Argus: Preston keeper Chris Maxwell guessed right to redeem himself after bringing down Jamie Murphy in a scramble inside the box.

Hughton said: "When you are on that type of run and where we are in the league, you want to give yourselves a chance in every game. I just didn't think we were good enough.

"Sometimes you come up against really good opposition, but we needed to compete a little bit better all over the park. They are a good side and they have showed that all season and in the games against us. We needed to be better.

"In the good periods we had, we arguably had as many opportunities to create as them and, certainly in the last 20 minutes, far more, but they defended very well."

That is usually a remark that applies to Albion. Only one of the last five games has produced a clean sheet. Two chances at home now provide the opportunity of a return to the mean mood and winning ways.