IF the sign of a promotion-winning team is the ability to get something when you’re not playing well, Middlesbrough have just passed another test on the road to the Premier League. The Teessiders were well below par for the vast majority of last night’s game at Preston, but still emerged with a point. The less said about their performance, however, the better.

In fairness to the Teessiders, their evening was disrupted by a succession of formation and personnel changes, some of which were enforced, and some of which were the result of a rare error of judgement from Tony Pulis.

Boro started with a five-man defence that did not work, switched to a rejigged midfield featuring Dael Fry that was not much better, before ending with something more akin to their usual system that finally enabled them to get a foothold in the game. If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying something different.

Preston completely controlled the first half, but only had Alan Browne’s 43rd-minute strike to show for their dominance. Boro equalised in the opening minute of the second period through first-half substitute Marcus Tavernier, and might even have claimed a winner when the teenager glanced a 65th-minute header wide. Tavernier, who replaced injury victim Rudy Gestede, was Boro’s brightest spark by a distance.

Ultimately, this will not be a night that lingers long in the memory, but the point could be an important one, and if nothing else, the result extends Boro’s unbeaten run to eight league matches. Durability remains one of their biggest assets.

Boro’s squad depth is also a key strength, and with Saturday’s trip to Brentford having kicked off a run of ten games in the space of six weeks, wholesale alterations are likely to become a regular occurrence until at least the turn of the year. It is only to be hoped they are more effective in the future than they were last night.

There were four personnel changes at Deepdale, as well as a switch of formation, although Gestede’s return to the starting line-up lasted less than half-an-hour.

Gestede was preferred to the completely out-of-favour Britt Assombalonga as he made his first Championship start since February, but after an uneventful 27 minutes that featured little more than a failed attempt to reach a cross from George Friend, he found himself beating the turf in frustration after suffering what appeared to be a recurrence of the ankle injury that has plagued him during his time on Teesside. It can only be hoped that yet another of his seasons is not wrecked by the problem.

The injury was a massive personal blow to the 30-year-old, but it forced Pulis to make a tactical tweak that was badly needed. Prior to Gestede’s departure, the Teessiders had been as poor as they have been all season.

The game began with Boro fielding a five-man defence for the first time since last month’s 1-1 draw with Derby County, and the formation simply did not work. With Fry and George Friend either unwilling or unable to push forward in their wing-back roles, Preston’s wide players had the run of either flank.

The visitors were also swamped in central midfield, and with their opponents dominating the opening 25 minutes, it was only a combination of misfortune and poor finishing that prevented Preston claiming the lead.

Lewis Wing produced an excellent second-minute tackle to prevent Brandon Barker getting a shot away after he broke into the area, but the Preston midfielder should not have delayed his strike to enable his opponent to slide in front of him.

Boro’s goal led an even more charmed life on the quarter-hour mark, with Jordan Storey teeing up Tom Barkhuizen for a prodded shot in the area that clipped the post before Aden Flint hacked clear from the goalline.

Louis Moult fired in another early shot that was saved by Darren Randolph, and while Pulis would not have been anticipating having to rip up his plans before the interval, it was undoubtedly for the best that he was forced into a change.

That change saw Daniel Ayala move to right-back in a flat back four, with Fry repositioned to the base of a five-man midfield that also featured Tavernier, who replaced Gestede.

Suddenly, Boro looked a different proposition, and they might even have claimed the lead when Ayala prodded goalwards from George Saville’s corner, only for Barkhuizen to clear from his position on the post.

Ayala was also claiming for a penalty when he felt his run at another set-piece had been impeded, but just as the Teessiders seemed to be getting a foothold in the game, they fell behind two minutes before the break.

A slick passing move enabled Preston to sweep upfield, and culminated in Barker rolling the ball into Browne’s feet on the edge of the area. The midfielder controlled the ball neatly, before drilling a crisp low finish into the bottom left-hand corner. It was the first time Boro had been behind in an away league game since September’s defeat at Norwich, but was no more than Preston deserved given the extent of their first-half dominance.

Fifty-five seconds into the second half, however, and their advantage had disappeared. Pulis tore up his tactical plans again at half-time, bringing on Martin Braithwaite for Ayala and restoring Fry to right-back, but Boro’s equaliser owed more to some poor Preston defending than anything revelatory from their manager.

Jordan Storey should have cut out Fry’s long ball down the touchline, but instead, the Preston centre-half allowed the ball to loop over his head. Tavernier was onto it in a flash, and after cutting infield to the corner of the penalty area, the teenager fired a precise low finish past Declan Rudd. It was his second goal in the space of four days, and raised further questions about his lack of involvement in the last couple of months.

Unexpectedly, the game was back in the balance, and while Boro were disrupted yet again when Lewis Wing picked up an injury within three minutes of the restart, they were much more competitive in the second half.

Preston continued to pose a threat – Paul Gallagher fired in a 51st-minute shot that Randolph did well to tip over the crossbar – but the visitors were much more comfortable after they eventually ended up in the same formation they fielded at Griffin Park three days earlier.

Tavernier’s introduction greatly increased Boro’s attacking threat – unlike a number of his team-mates, the youngster’s first thought is generally to break into the box – and he came close to scoring a second goal midway through the second half when he glanced Braithwaite’s cross narrowly wide of the post.