Preston won the first corner after four minutes when captain Kevin Nicholls hit a right-foot left-wing corner which was cleared off the line.
In the seventh minute Darren Carter fired over a left-foot right-wing corner but this came to nothing.
City had their first chance after 22 minutes when Bradley Orr hit a 25-yard left-foot shot from inside the right channel which was saved by Preston keeper Andy Lonergan.
Carter took a left-foot right-wing corner which was nodded on by Paul Gallagher on loan from Blackburn Rovers, but the ball went over and wide of the right-hand post.
Karl Hawley had a 20-yard left-foot shot from inside the right channel which went wide of the right-hand post and Gallagher had a left-foot shot from 22 yards which the City keeper saved.
Callum Davidson put Hawley through two minutes before half-time but his right-foot shot from 12 yards was saved.
Two minutes into the second half Liam Fontaine was booked for deliberate handball and City made a double substitution ten minutes in, when Scott Murray and Darren Byfield replaced Ivan Sproule and Brian Wilson.
It took an hour for City's first corner which Lee Johnson took right-footed from the left wing, but the referee blew for a foul on the Preston keeper by Fontaine.
Gallagher was replaced by Neil Mellor and with his first touch he narrowly shot over the bar right-footed.
Substitute Byfield was booked for a foul on Nicholls after 72 minutes and then Chris Sedgwick had a shot saved.
Patrick Agyemang replaced Hawley with ten minutes to go and City brought on Cole Skuse for Lee Trundle.
Carter had a shot saved and with three minutes to go Murray hit the crossbar with a right-foot shot from the left side of the penalty box after putting the ball through Youl Mawene's legs.