Something old and something new at Deepdale but it was more a funeral atmosphere than a wedding celebration. The something old was Graham Alexander, the Scottish international made his 400th appearance in North End colours but it will be game he will soon want to forget. The something new was the strike-partnership of Agyemang and Carroll, North End were desperate for goals but despite early promise they were still searching for their first Championship strike of the season following this 3-0 defeat at home to Colchester.

It could have all been so different, Andy Carroll landed a call-up to the England Under-19 squad in the week and he celebrated that with a first start in PNE colours. The 18-year-old striker caused all sorts of problems as the PNE midfield whipped in a flurry of early crosses and the Geordie youngster showed plenty of guile and bravery to get his head on almost everything in the first half.

But it was header at the other end of the field that broke the deadlock, perhaps against the run of play, but just before the break, perfectly timed. Connolly and Elokobi took a quick free-kick on the left and were given all the time in the world to deliver a cross to the back post for Kevin Lisbie to rise and power a header into the back of the net.

It was a sucker punch that knocked North End back on their heels. Preston took the fight to Colchester again in the second half but a Teddy Sheringham penalty on the hour knocked the wind out of Preston's sails and 12 minutes later Paul Simpson's side were sunk when a brilliant free-kick from Mark Yeates made the score 3-0.

The new strike-duo was the only change to the side which was defeated at West Brom the previous Saturday. And it was Carroll who was in the thick of the action, Sedgwick's cross from the right found Carroll's head and he diverted the ball into the path of an unmarked Pugh at the back post, but referee Steve Tanner ruled that Carroll had nudged his marker in the back to gain an unfair advantage.

Carroll and Tanner would have a running argument during the game, the beanpole striker was a physical threat for the young Colchester centre-half pairing but too physical for the Premiership referee.

It wasn't all about Carroll though, Agyemang had a couple of chances in the opening 20 minutes, the best came when he chased down a hopeful Alexander punt and caught Baldwin unawares, just as Pat looked clear and in the box he lost his footing to get a strike on goal.

Carroll turned provider in the 38th minute when he picked up the ball on the right and hit a great cross to the back post, the kind of cross that Carroll would have loved to have been on the end of himself. As it was it was Agyemang who was waiting and he scrambled the ball into the path of Pugh who was unmarked, but also offside.

Three minutes later and Colchester were ahead. The U's had brought in three new strikers to replace the loss of Iwelumo and Cureton and it was one of those, Kevin Lisbie, who arrived at the back post to head home, his first goal for the club and his first anywhere for 17 months.

It would be a long half-time inquest and in the second period Preston showed some early signs of a fight-back. North End's deathly quiet support even woke from their slumbers to give a rare 'PNE PNE PNE' chant after Carroll had almost flicked home a Chris Sedgwick cross in the 55th minute.

Carroll thumped the floor in frustration at missing the chance but it was that same fist which led to Colchester's penalty five minutes later. A free-kick was delivered into a scrum of players and although there was a suggestion that Carroll was pushed, the ball clearly struck the youngster's hand and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Teddy Sheringham needed no invitation to slot home from 12 yards out.

If there was some dispute about the penalty there can have been no arguments about Colchester's third. Kevin Nicholls had no option but to bring Karl Duguid down on the edge of the box as the Essex club caught North End on the break, but Mark Yeates still had plenty to do 25-yards out, he executed the free-kick perfectly, curling it around the wall and beyond Wayne Henderson as he dived to his left.

It was the killer blow. Alexander had a shot on goal four minutes later that Davison dealt with easily and Ormerod got plenty of space in the box with ten minutes to go, but to his disappointment there was nobody around him to capitalise on his cut-back.

The Lilywhites gave it one last final fling in the dying seconds of the game when a couple of corners led to a goalmouth scramble or two. But it was 41-year-old Teddy Sheringham who would have the last chance of the game, he flicked a corner towards goal that scrashed off the outside of the post and bounced away.