Substitute Paul Gallagher enjoyed an eventful afternoon as Preston came from behind to draw 1-1 with Ipswich.
The striker stepped off the bench in the 71st minute and within five minutes he had scored his side’s equaliser and then pulled on the goalkeeping gloves.
Gallagher’s free-kick, his first and only touch as an outfield player, cancelled out Freddie Sears’ penalty – but Chris Maxwell almost immediately collected a second yellow card, leaving Gallagher to step between the sticks for the final quarter-of-an-hour plus eight added minutes.
The visitors will therefore be more satisfied with the point while Paul Lambert saw his new side pegged back in his first game at Portman Road.
Ipswich started well and a break by Gwion Edwards and Jordan Roberts in the second minute saw the former’s shot deflected wide by Preston defender Ben Davies for a corner.
A free-kick by Callum Robinson 30 yards out posed problems for the Town defence 10 minutes later as Jordan Spence conceded a corner for the visitors.
Good build-up play by Preston midway through the half led to midfielder Daniel Johnson feeding Tom Barkhuizen but his shot cleared the crossbar.
In the 31st minute Edwards fed Roberts on the right but his shot from just inside the penalty area went narrowly past Maxwell’s left-hand post.
Just before half-time, Ipswich took the lead their pressure had deserved. Sears challenged Maxwell, who cleared the ball straight to Roberts and then fouled the forward, with the penalty converted by Sears.
Roberts’ battling style earned a free-kick midway inside the Preston half in the 55th minute and the ball fell to Cole Skuse just outside the penalty area, but he skewed his shot high and wide to the right.
Two minutes later Roberts held the ball up and fed Trevoh Chalobah but his shot also went high and wide.
Flynn Downes’ corner on the hour was headed just wide by Ipswich defender Matthew Pennington before Preston drew level in the 73rd minute.
Gallagher, just on in place of Alan Browne, curled a free-kick past Bartosz Bialkowski – but the substitute’s dramatic cameo was just beginning.
Two minutes later the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Preston keeper Maxwell received a second yellow card, and with all three substitutes used Gallagher was pressed into service.
The 10 men could have won it but for Pennington’s challenge on Lukas Nmecha, while Danny Rowe’s long-range shot for Town was spectacularly punched clear by makeshift keeper Gallagher to preserve a point.
