PNE provided the perfect Christmas present to their faithful supporters by grafting and crafting their way to victory against a side that had twice already denied them this season.

Having suffered Carling Cup defeat at Deepdale and drawn in a peculiar game at Pride Park, Preston looked the better side for large chunks against a determined side containing plenty of quality, but they had no answer to the superb Ross Wallace crosses that carved out Sean St. Ledger's opener and Jon Parkin's second half stunner.

Three talismanic changes for Preston saw injury returns for Billy Jones, Richard Chaplow and Neil Mellor, while the visitors were keen to welcome back midfielder Paul Green and striker Rob Hulse after injuries of their own.

Befitting for the usually lethargic Boxing Day mood, both sides and the supporters started relatively quietly, but the crowd were lifted after a positive North End burst after a dozen minutes.

Sent racing forward via Jon Parkin's pass, Ross Wallace rode a challenge from stand-in right back Martin Albrechtsen before walzing his way into the box, unselfishly electing to square it to Chaplow rather than unleashing himself as a shooting chance opened up. Though the returning midfielder turned his shot narrowly over the bar from a good position, the crowd seemed encouraged by the football from the Lilywhites.

Another pacy break had Derby worried just five minutes later. This time Mellor was the provider and Wallace the beneficiary as the striker's attempted cross was only half cut out by Albrechtsen, giving the Scotsman time and space to shoot as the loose ball fell his way. Only a sprawling stop by Stephen Bywater kept the winger's effort away, and he was again relieved as Wallace's corner in the following minute was headed narrowly over the top by Jones.

It seemed that all the new imports into either side were having the greatest impact on proceedings, with Hulse's angled drive requiring a last ditch block from Sean St. Ledger to avoid leaving his keeper exposed.

Wallace continued to give Albrechtsen a torrid time in the opening 20 minutes, turning inside his man once more before firing a right-footed shot towards the base of the near post - only a lack of pace meant it didn't give Bywater more of a headache.

However, come the half hour, and Wallace's quality paid dividends. Having won a free-kick just inside the right hand touchline, a few yards short of being level with the edge of the box, the left winger's perfect cross landed invitingly into the centre of the six yard box where Sean St. Ledger slid in to fire it hard and low under Bywater's body despite a scrambled attempt to keep it out.

It was a reward for Preston having shaded a good section of the play, and they could have doubled that lead before the break as both Wallace and Parkin launched powerful shots just wide of the frame of the goal before the half-time whistle.

North End, having been unfortunate not to take the chances presented to them prior to the break, were then particularly hard done to when a clear penalty shot was waved away by referee Friend. Mellor was the impeded party, racing forwards with only James Tomkins to beat, and having got a step beyond his man, it appeared that a trip had taken the striker's feet away from the ground, but any protests were simply waved away.

An immediate counter saw Lonergan block on the line from Ellington's glancing blow, and a frantic start to the half continued when Mellor did eventually find a decision going in his favour as he was tripped on the edge of the box.

Wallace took responsibility for the set piece duties, and almost duly obliged with a second, only to see his curling strike bounce back off the upright.

Derby hoped the introduction of Nacer Barazite - creater of their winner at home to Watford in their last outing - would help to find the key to unlock North End, but it was his right flank partner Albrechtsen that played the ball in for Nathan Ellington to test Lonergan once again with a powerful header, and the keeper was equally alert with an extended block to keep out the Dutch substitute Barazite when he popped up on the edge of the box to fire in a thunderbolt through a crows of bodies.

Preston made a change of their own which they hoped would make a similar impact on the game, Mellor replaced after 64 minutes of his comeback by Stephen Elliott, also on his way back from injury.

Within seconds, Elliott was causing trouble in the box, and was sent tumbling by Bywater's stray hand as the Irishman gave Tomkins some trouble just wide of the frame of the goal. Once again the referee was in place to deny North End's claims of a foul as the crowd roared their disapproval.

It didn't matter, though, with North End doubling their advantage exactly midway through the second half. Again it was Ross Wallace with the lovely ball in from the left, and again, at Deepdale, in front of the Town End, it was Jon Parkin that chested the ball down and fired the ball powerfully beyond Bywater into the bottom left corner.

The Beast's third goal in as many games at that end of the ground was arguably the pick of the strikes, and looked to have secured the same outcome as the Doncaster and Birmingham encouters.

Despite some signs of late promise from the Rams, so it proved. Barazite fired narrowly over the top after shrugging off Davidson for probably the only time in his spell on the field, but that quality was later followed by misery as Rob Hulse felt the pressure of chasing his 100th career goal - turning Paul Green's perfect low cross wide of the post from just six yards as the defence looked beaten.

That did for Derby, and after some promising stuff in late cameos from substitutes Stephen Elliott and Barry Nicholson - and Callum Davidson curling a shot narrowly wide of target on his supposedly weaker right foot - County were beaten and Preston's good home run extended.

PNE: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St. Ledger, Davidson, Sedgwick, McKenna, Chaplow (sub Nicholson 74), Wallace, Mellor (sub Elliott 64), Parkin (sub Brown 87). Subs not used: C Neal, Nolan.

Booked: St. Ledger

Derby: Bywater, Albrechtsen, Nyatanga, Tomkins, Stewart, Teale (sub Barazite 56), Addison, Green, Commons, Ellington, Hulse. Subs not used: Price, Varney, Barnes, Davies.

Referee: Mr K Friend

Attendance: 13,896