Preston manager Alan Irvine called for an improvement from his team after they slipped out of the top six on the back of a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough.

Paul Parry and Billy Jones earned the hosts a point after Boro twice went ahead through Gary O'Neil and Adam Johnson.

"I'm not over-happy. We have got a point, but I look for more than just a result. There are a lot of things we will need to take out of that game and improve upon," said Irvine.

"We were poor in the first half. I was praying for half-time to come to address some of the issues that needed addressing.

"I thought we got the response almost from the kick-off in the second half. We then started to stretch the game out a bit better than we had in the first half.

"The lads showed great character again. They don't play as well as I would like at different times, but they keep going and going. They deserve enormous credit for keeping going. It's a fantastic quality to have."