Preston produced the performance of the season to dump Premier League Derby out of the FA Cup - the first time North End have beaten a top flight side in a competitive outing since defeating the same opponents 29 years ago.

Alan Irvine's men were in scintillating form from start to finish, and were thoroughly deserving of a result which was a true reflection of their total dominance.

Two goals for Karl Hawley and further strikes from Simon Whaley and Neil Mellor were enough to put North End through to round five - an achievement which means they've gone two rounds further in this year's competition than top outfits like Everton, Blackburn and Aston Villa.

Over 1,200 Preston fans probably thought they were dreaming throughout, but if they stay up late tonight to watch Match of the Day or get up early on Sunday for the morning paper, the result will be there in clear print for all to see. 

The Preston side containing two changes made the brighter start, with the incoming Darren Carter and Chris Sedgwick both contributing to some of the positive attacking moves instigated by the men in red.

Though genuine chances were few and far between until the 14^th minute, North End took the lead with their first shot. Chris Brown took advantage of Andy Todd's lapse in concentration, dispossessing him on the touchline and cleverly holding up his pass until strike partner Karl Hawley was in the perfect position to slot the ball between Claude Davis' legs and in.

The goal gave PNE the perfect lift, and they continued to take the game to the Rams - Paul McKenna firing the next chance over the bar after a sustained spell of pressure had forced consecutive corners.

Derby were further rattled by the loss of former North Ender Eddie Lewis through injury, but his replacement was the equally dangerous Gary Teale, formerly of Wigan.

The hosts did seem to step up slightly after his introduction, with Robbie Savage curling a free kick narrowly wide of goal after Carter had been called up for handling Nyatanga's attempted pass.

However, they reckoned without the quality of North End's next attack on 33 minutes, expertly carved out by a great spell of teamwork. Sedgwick sent Hawley away with a superbly timed ball over the top which allowed him to beat the offside trap, and though he had the pace to trouble the defence, the angle wasn't in his favour, so he worked a pass inside to Carter who was more central. He, too, found that the options were narrowing, so a neat flick found Whaley in space to his left, and he checked back inside to curl the ball inside the far post.

It brought boos from the home crowd and sheer elation from the visiting contingent, and it took some last ditch defending and contentious offside flags to prevent Hawley from breaking away for a third.

Sean St Ledger, like all of his defensive colleagues, looked cool and assured at the back as the danger was continuously repelled, though he couldn't match that with attacking prowess as he misdirected a header at goal from Sedgwick's set piece delivery.

PNE continuously carved open the hosts at will, with Carter and Hawley combining to present Sedgwick with a right wing opening, but his shot across the face of goal flashed narrowly wide.

With all the good news being read in North End's favour, it seemed somewhat at odds that Whaley was taken out of the game with a knock to the ankle, but with only the three minutes of stoppage time he remained on the field to try and run off the injury.

What a great call it turned out to be. He was involved in the build up as North End worked the ball forward, and Brown embarassed Todd again with a ball that slipped through the defender's legs to feed Hawley, who turned and curled in Preston's third.

North End were in dream land, and it seemed out of keeping with the nature of most attacks when Carter couldn't convert the visitors' next shooting chance from 18 yards.

The half-time whistle was met with a chorus of boos from the hosts - music to the ears of the long-suffering but vocal North Enders. You couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the Derby fans who have endured a torrid season - without a league win since September - but then again they've had the joy of that Play-Off victory feeling, so it all swings and roundabouts!

Paul Jewell was evidently unprepared to suffer more of the same in the second half, and made all the remaining changes available to him, with Rob Earnshaw replacing Tito Villa and Giles Barnes on for Todd in a tactical reshuffle.

Preston, meanwhile, replaced Davidson with Matt Hill, with the Scotsman having suffered from a tight hamstring in the first period.

The afternoon could have got even better had the referee awarded the visitors a penalty straight after the re-start, but for reasons known only to Lee Probert he turned down Karl Hawley's appeal after being bundled over by the clumsy figure of Claude Davis. It was the kind of incident which may have merited a spot kick at 0-0, but was less likely to be looked upon kindly when a side is in total control, as North End were.

McKenna could have marked his 408^th PNE appearance - a figure placing him ninth in the Club's list of all time appearance makers - with a goal, but his low drive from the edge of the box following a half-cleared corner was hacked to safety by Davis.

It proved crucial, as the ball forward was met by Kenny Miller as the Rams broke two-on-two, and he slipped substitute Earnshaw clear to curl it past Lonergan from the edge of the box.

That goal came ten minutes after the break, and seemed to rejuvenate players and supporters alike, but Earnshaw seemed somewhat optimistic when trying to beat Lonergan with a poorly directed floating shot from 30 yards.

Lonergan kept North End's precious cushion in place when he made a top notch one-on-one block from Savage after Barnes had sent his skipper clear, and it took some solid defending to keep the threat of Earnshaw and Miller to a minimum as the move continued.

McKenna saw another shot blocked by Davis after being played in by Carter's corner, and then St Ledger headed over the top as Whaley played the resulting dead ball back into the box.

Hawley's shot was deflected over the top as he went in search of a hat-trick, and Youl Mawene headed inches over as Carter played in the corner that Hawley had earned moments earlier.

Again Hawley came close, chipping a shot onto the bar from Whaley's low cross, before Barnes cleared the danger, and moments later McKenna also grazed the top of the metalwork with a fizzing shot from outside the area.

Hawley's attempts for a third were further denied by a low stop from Lewis Price, and sadly he wasn't to get it as a later collision with Price forced his departure through injury. He was followed to the touchline by Simon Whaley who suffered an ankle knock and was replaced by Kev Nicholls, but both departing players were given a standing ovation for their efforts.

Mellor nearly added a fourth as he chipped over the top in the final minute, but he created even more damage as he broke through seconds later. Chasing Nicholls' through ball, he looked odds-on to score, but Lewin Nyatanga needlessly shoved him over. Red card for the Ram, and Mellor brushed himself down to net the penalty in the first of three added minutes.

"We want five" sang the PNE faithful, but four - and a thrashing of a Premier League side - was fair enough on this occasion.

PNE: Lonergan, St Ledger, Mawene, Chilvers, Davidson (sub Hill 46), Sedgwick, McKenna (capt), Carter, Whaley (sub Nicholls 86), Hawley (sub Mellor 85), Brown. Subs: Chris Neal, Ormerod.

Derby: Price, Edworthy, Villa (sub Earnshaw 46), Miller, Lewis (sub Teale 24), Todd (sub Barnes 46), Davis, Pearson, Nyatanga, Ghaly, Savage (capt). Subs: Hinchcliffe, Leacock.

Booked: Sedgwick (71); Pearson (67)

Sent Off: Nyatanga (90)

Referee: Lee Probert

Attendance: 17,344 (1,238 visitors)