Blackpool 0 Preston NE 0

A full house at Bloomfield Road had little to cheer about as the Lancashire rivals showed why neither of them has set the Championship alive this season.

Blackpool, who celebrated a 1-0 victory in the corresponding fixture at Deepdale in December, enjoyed the better of the first half with Claus Jorgensen going close with a long-range effort early on.

On 28 minutes Preston defender Youl Mawene earned a yellow card for pulling back Ben Burgess on the edge of the area and Scotland international Stephen Crainey put the resulting free-kick inches over the bar.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher gave Preston keeper Andy Lonergan a rare bit of work to do with a 20-yard half volley which was well saved and a fumble by Lonergan almost gave Burgess the chance to put the ball into an empty net, but his tame header was easily cleared.

Preston wizened up after the break, helped by the introduction of former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor for the ineffective Tamas Priskin on 53 minutes.

Their best chance fell to that man Mellor on 77 minutes when winger Chris Sedgwick crossed to the edge of the six-yard box, but Mellor's shot deflected just wide of Paul Rachubka's goal.

A minute later Chris Sedgwick went down in the area under a challenge from his former Rotherham team-mate Shaun Barker, but there was no serious appeal for a penalty.

Blackpool attempted to liven things up in the closing stages by introducing forgotten man Keigan Parker from the bench, along with fellow striker Andy Morrell.

But they were largely ineffective against a resolute North end rearguard , marshalled well by Mawene, who helped erase memories of the penalty which he gave away in the Deepdale clash.