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It could have all turned out so different. Burnley started brightly, and should've been ahead in the first couple of minutes. Elliott cut in from the right and fed Blake, who nutmegged the defender with ease. Blake entered the area and shot with his left foot but Lonergan parried, the rebound falling to Lafferty. The Northern Irishman cushioned his shot on target but there was a defender on the line, who blocked the effort with his outstretched arm.
All eyes looked to referee Lee Mason, who gave a corner. It was a shocking decision. The defender would have walked, and Burnley would have led. A comfortable win would surely have been the result.
The decision seemed to puncture Burnley's spirit, and North End were soon testing Kiraly with shots from range from Mellor and Gallagher. It was a feature of the game that Preston looked to shoot on sight throughout, and with Jordan and Unsworth slow to block, it was always likely to yield a goal.
The deadlock was broken on the half hour by the home side. Elliott, Burnley's strongest man on the day, attacked down the right, and his cross was only half cleared, Lafferty arriving to superbly loop his header over the onrushing Lonergan into the top corner.
The lead should have been doubled minutes later. Burnley broke at pace, Blake carrying the ball with an attacker either side, North End only with one defender back. Blake made the wrong choice though, and the move broke down.
There was another chance as Blake robbed a defender in the area and played the ball across the six-yard box, with Gray and Elliott both inexplicably failing to make contact.
Burnley looked like they were going to go into the break ahead when North End levelled. The ball fell on the half way line to Sean St. Ledger, who bludgeoned his way through a number of half-hearted challenges. The ball squirmed across the area to winger Chris Sedgwick, who gave Kiraly no chance with a low shot.
Mahon was replaced by Joey Gudjonsson at the break but it made little difference as the Burnley midfield continued to struggle. Preston started the second half the better team, and it was no real surprise when they took the lead. A nothing ball over the top was missed by Jordan, and Mellor had the simple task of running through on goal to slot into the corner. It was a piece of unforgivable defending, but it woke Burnley up for their best passage of play of the match.
Jon Harley played the ball forward and Blake back-heeled it on into the path of McCann who held his nerve to beat Lonergan at his near post. Andy Gray was lurking and would have been fuming had McCann missed, but as it was it was 2-2 with the Clarets well on top. Burnley looked the more likely to go on to win the game.
But then, another turning point. McCann was fouled but Mason let play continue. Another two tackles should have merited a free kick, one to each side, but Mason kept his whistle dry, and the red mist descended over young Chris McCann, who lunged in two footed with his studs showing. He had to go, but the fact remains that had Mason stopped the game for one of the previous fouls, McCann wouldn't have made the tackle.
After the melee had calmed, Owen Coyle brought off a clearly angry Robbie Blake, replacing him with James O'Connor. Lafferty had already limped off with Steve Jones coming on, so Burnley were left to face half an hour of play with ten men and no remaining substitutes. Gray, already having a tough time against Preston's twin towers at the back, was left even more isolated, with the defenders launching the ball up to him in the hope that he would produce a bit of magic. But it never looked likely.
In the end, it was a stroke of managerial genius that decided the game. Alan Irvine looked set to bring off Simon Whaley, who had been ineffective from the flank. However, he had a change of heart and it paid off brilliantly, Whaley crashing home a shot from 25 yards the next time he received the ball. Only Irvine will know if it was indecision or a deliberate ploy to garner a reaction from his player. It was yet another example of the unbelievable luck that Preston always seem to have against Burnley.
Coyle failed to react tactically and in truth Burnley never looked like salvaging a draw despite David Unsworth moving up front as an emergency striker and smashing a free-kick just over.
Elliott beat his troop of markers again, by this time Preston had at least three men on him as Burnley's only attacking threat, but his sublime cross was headed yards wide by Jones with the goal at his mercy.
There was also a golden chance for Andy Gray. Kiraly had no business saving when Preston had two men through on goal and the Hungarian quickly launched the ball downfield. Mawene headed the ball up and Gray pestered the defence into panicking. However, when the ball fell to Gray he snatched at his chance, firing straight at Lonergan.
To compel Burnley's misery, Gudjonsson was sent off for a crude stamp, leaving Burnley to see out the remaining seconds with just nine men and rue what could have been. With six points dropped this week, the Clarets have thrown away a fantastic chance to lodge themselves firmly in the play-off picture.
Now, with Lafferty and Mahon to add to an injury list containing Carlisle, Caldwell, Duff and Berisha, and with McCann and Gudjonsson facing bans, Burnley look set for a testing festive period. With Blake also looking in need of a rest, it will be interesting to see the reaction at Ipswich next week with the squad down to the bare bones.
The honeymoon is over Owen, now show us what you are made of.