BLUES Boss Jim Magilton praised his side after a late Jon Walters striker kept the Blues' play-off hopes alive, if only by a thread. With results elsewhere going Town's way they can still make the top six but will need to beat Hull City at Portman Road next Sunday and hope others slip up.

Derek Davis

BLUES Boss Jim Magilton praised his side after a late Jon Walters striker kept the Blues' play-off hopes alive, if only by a thread.

With results elsewhere going Town's way they can still make the top six but will need to beat Hull City at Portman Road next Sunday and hope others slip up.

Magilton said: “I always thought it would go to the last day and we are in with a shout like a few others.

“We have a real tough game at home against Hull and we will go into that, present ourselves and see where that takes us.

“If we win you never know what happens. We have to win our game and see.

“We have hope and we have to cling on to that.”

Tommy Miller opened the scoring for Town before Chris Brown equalised with a shot that deflected past Stephen Bywater off Jason De Vos.

Magilton said: “We scored a very good goal but then took our foot off the gas and that has been the story of our season away from home.

“When we have teams on the ropes we have not killed them off.

“Preston had their moments but we kept going and deserved to get something from the game.”

In the second half Pablo Counago hit a post and David Wright missed from close range and then Neil Mellor put Preston ahead before Walters slipped home after a through ball from Owen Garvan.

Magilton said: “We had a number of chances but typically of our season they break away and it is a sloppy goal from our point of view.

“At 2-1 you think they are going to win but (we scored from a) fantastic pass and a fantastic finish.

“I'm very proud of the players because they kept going and we deserved something.

“Stephen Bywater made a great save but collectively we were very good and played some lovely stuff at times.

“But again old habits have raised its ugly head and that is why we are not sitting pretty.”