Albion Analysis: Point gained more than two lost for the leaders, considering the problems

Looks can be deceiving.

Albion's first game without a goal at the Amex since April, for a team at the top table playing against a side in the bottom half, has the appearance of two points lost, an almighty waste.

In fact, in terms of the bigger picture, it ended up more like a point gained.

They are still four points clear at the top of the Championship, so no damage done there.

The unbeaten record also remains, despite the absences of three of their most influential players and the loss of a fourth which left them playing eight minutes of added time reduced to ten men.

Beram Kayal will be back from a one-match ban for tough away trips in the space of four days to Reading and Sheffield Wednesday.

Central midfield accomplice Dale Stephens might be, ditto captain Gordon Greer.

The potentially lasting damage from this stalemate was the knee injury sustained in the closing stages by Gaetan Bong, not the consequence of any impact in a tackle but when he was running.

He was stretchered off. It did not look good, which is a severe blow.

Bong has been a reassuring permanent solution to a problem spot for Albion for several seasons, filled previously by loan signings.

Liam Rosenior can play there - he did many times for Hull - so can Inigo Calderon. It is still not quite the same as having a natural deputy.

Adam Chicksen, who falls into that category, is on loan at Leyton Orient and has not been selected by Chris Hughton since his first game in charge at Brentford in the FA Cup in January.

The strength in depth is one of the advantages of the squad Hughton has assembled. But if you asked him which players he would least want to be without then Kayal, Stephens, Greer and Bong would all feature prominently on the list.

So, in the form he has been in so far this season, would be Kazenga LuaLua, despite the options in wide areas.

He will be back soon to add an explosive edge to the attack. It is worth noting that three of Albion's five draws have been during LuaLua's absence.

They lacked a game-changer to unlock Preston. They also missed the drive, composure in possession, range of passing and goal threat normally provided by the impressive combination of Kayal and Stephens.

Andrew Crofts has demonstrated tremendous strength of character to recover from two serious knee injuries in succcessive seasons.

He made his first start in over a year, so he is obviously not at the peak of his powers yet. Alongside him Rohan Ince, a protective blanket for the back four but lacking the distribution qualities of Stephens and Kayal, was making his first league start of the season.

The rusty feel to the line-up did not end there. Winger Jamie Murphy made his first appearance for four weeks following his suspension for that dubious red card at Bolton.

It is not particularly surprising then in the circumstances that Albion struggled against Preston in a manner betraying their respective places in the table.

As Hughton observed: "The plus is these are the type of games, when you are not at your best and don't perhaps take the half chances you have, that you end up losing which we didn't. Sometimes a point is not a bad point.

"There are going to be so many ups and downs this season, playing well, not playing well and gaining a result.

"On most occasions when we have won a game we've generally deserved to win it. There are going to be games like this where the opposition play well and defend well and you find it hard to break them down.

"We lacked that bit of quality you need to turn a game, that one moment that is going to turn a 0-0 into a 1-0 whether it's deserved or not."

There was not a lot wrong with the performance in the first half. Albion dominated the ball and territory. Tomer Hemed, currently off the boil, fired over a presentable early opening. Murphy, loose in possession at times, tested Preston keeper Jordan Pickford with two free-kicks from distance, one central, one out wide.

Perhaps those hard-earned wins against Leeds at Bristol City took their toll, because after the break Albion lacked energy, tempo and ideas.

Even the introduction of Bobby Zamora did not make any difference this time. Instead the game was almost won twice by Preston substitute Joe Garner on his return from suspension.

A looping far post header was nodded over his own bar by Bruno, covering on the line, with David Stockdale beaten.

In the time added on for Bong's injury, Garner also volleyed over from a corner from the edge of the six-yard box. It was the closest Albion have come to losing their undefeated record.

Hughton said: "I thought on the balance of play we were the better side, particularly first half.

"We were getting into positions of opportunities to score, crossing positions, but we didn't make enough of them.

"Probably on chances it was a fair result. They were on the back of a very good result at Charlton.

"They defended very well when they had to and they will go away thinking they very much deserved the point.

"We've got great character in the side and I think that showed. We weren't at our best. In my time here last season that was the type of game we possibly would have lost."

He is right about that. Albion's unerring ability to win or, failing that, draw tight matches continues to serve them well.