Preston's Carling Cup dream came to an end at Deepdale as Paul Green snuck in to head his Derby side into round three.

Though Alan Irvine's side shaded a game that never really hit the heights of the opening three league games of the new campaign, Green's looping header five minutes from half time proved sufficient for a Derby team that belied their status as one of the division's supposed whipping boys, and finally gave their long suffering supporters something to cheer.

Just as he did in the first round, Alan Irvine opted to make four changes to his Carling Cup side, bringing back the same quartet in Michael Hart, Darren Carter, Ross Wallace and Karl Hawley.

All were eager to take their chance to show what they can do, and one of those, Wallace, could have had PNE ahead inside six minutes. Chris Sedgwick's cross from the right wasn't well dealt with by keeper Roy Carroll under pressure from Mellor, and as the ball dropped to the on loan winger, he took a step inside to bring the ball onto his right foot in better space to strike, but his effort squirmed wide of the top right hand corner.

The game was otherwise fairly quiet until 15 minutes later when Neil Mellor stunned Carroll with a 20-yard drive that stung his palms, the shot revitalising the game and Hawley looked set to test Carroll too a minute later until his studs gave up on him given the greasy surface.

Derby caused little in the way of trouble to Andy Lonergan's goal until Miles Addison whipped a left-footed corner in from the right hand side, and Kris Commons snuck in to meet it but only succeeded in turning the ball wide of target.

Commons was again the tormentor as his side suddenly found it within them to go even closer a few moments later. Having beaten Hart with a neat jink down the North End left, he squared for Hulse, only for Lonergan, St. Ledger and Jones to converge and half clear. The ball was met by Przemyslaw Kazmierczak who looked a fair bet to find the target, but instead his shot bounced wide off the outside of the post.

Having come closer and closer, they eventually came far closer than Preston would have liked when they eventually took the lead with five minutes of the half remaining.

With momentum with them, Jordan Stewart found the room on the left hand side to place a nippy cross straight onto the head of Paul Green who was waiting invitingly at the back post, and he left Lonergan with no chance as his header looped high into the night sky before dropping under the bar and in.

Wallace again went close for Preston, curling a free-kick over the wall and towards the bottom right hand corner, only for Carroll to get his body behind the ball and block. The rebound spun towards Sedgwick's toes, but Carroll produced an excellent stop to hold as the ball was turned back in towards the waiting masses in the centre.

Trailing at the break, North End were presented with an ideal chance to level within just 20 seconds of the game recommencing, neat passing threading the ball wide to Sedgwick, and his cross was probably just half an inch away from being absolutely perfect for Mellor, who was able to get a toe on the delivery on the stretch, but couldn't direct it as he otherwise needed to.

Sedgwick again was the man providing the crosses as Karl Hawley nodded the next chance over the top of the crossbar as he reached for a high delivery, but it was a Wallace cross that yielded an effort on target - St. Ledger heading straight at the keeper after the winger had sent over a dead ball gained courtesy of Dean Leacock's trip on Carter.

Commons, having posed questions in the first half, was doing it again in the second half as a long range shot fizzed narrowly wide of target and then an inviting cross didn't quite dip as he might have hoped as Rob Hulse waited expectantly on the edge of the six yard box.

PNE spent much of the half's opening stages camped in the County half, and Hawley hoped to take advantage of such pressure and produce a repeat of his heroics at Pride Park in January as he let fly from 25 yards, but the defence did just enough to block before it reached the territory where it would have troubled Carroll.

With visiting attacks becoming less frequent - but seemingly more potent each time - an Emanuel Villa cross almost resulted in a second when Hulse's header proved too strong for Lonergan to hold at the first attempt, but he averted danger by quickly smothering the bouncing ball.

Hulse was again the danger man when Green sent him flying clear with a beautiful ball, but Jones got back to block in superb fashion as the prolific hit man looked set to strike.

In true cup tie fashion, the game kept swinging from end-to-end, and an immediate counter from the Jones tackle was led by substitute Simon Whaley, whose cross from the right was met powefully, but sadly not quite as accurately as needed, by Mellor at the back stick.

Michael Hart was called into goal-line action as he blocked Miles Addison's goalbound header from Commons' corner, while Carroll had to dive low and forward to cut out Whaley's cross that was just begging to be tapped home.

As stoppage time arrived, McKenna's free kick from deep was flicked on by St. Ledger and met by Chaplow - on as sub and sneaking round the back - but Carroll was equal to the header once again.

There was still time for Hulse to drag a snapshot across the face of goal and for Lonergan to join the melee in attack as North End won a series of set pieces, but the final whistle came too soon as PNE were ultimately frustrated by Paul Jewell's well drilled outfit.

PNE: Lonergan, Hart, Jones, St. Ledger, Hill, Sedgwick (sub Whaley 68), McKenna (capt), Carter (sub Chaplow 82), Wallace, Hawley, Mellor. Subs not used: Chris Neal, Mawene, Jarrett, Nicholson, Ormerod.

Derby: Carroll, Connelly (capt), Green, Stewart, Kazmierczak (sub Mears 77), Commons, Villa, Hulse (sub Davies 77), Leacock, Addison, Albrechtsen. Subs not used: Bywater, McEveley, Sterjovski, Pearson, Pereplotkins.

Booked: Addison, Leacock, Villa

Referee: Mr J Moss

Attendance: 8,037