After 52 dour minutes, Wimbledon's top scorer David Connolly went off to receive treatment to a head injury and that was too provide the ironic catalyst that generated excitement into a bore.
He returned 11 minutes later to stand on the touch line, awaiting a recall, and watched scoring rival Neil Shipperley reduce his narrow deficit.
Young Alex Tapp provided the pass for Shipperley to finish off the far post. That was number 18 for the ex Chelsea and Southampton man. Two minutes later he was within one of the top scorer, Connolly, and it was the little Irishman who provided the pass.
Before the end Shipperley might have had two more, but that would have cruel on Preston.
The first half had produced just one shot on target and that was in the 44th minute. Nigel Reo-Coker flashed a shot across the goalmouth that Jonathan Gould dived to save, perhaps more in surprise than anxiety.
Kelvin Davis did well to divert an Erik Skora shot from the edge of the penalty area following a corner early in the second half.
This was the penultimate game for Wimbledon at Selhurst Park and whatever the future holds next season at Milton Keynes it can hardly be worse at least as long as crowd support is concerned.
Preston boss Craig Brown used the occasion to make some experiments in a far from unhappy season and North End can look forward to better than this in the future.