Preston North End fell to a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Derby in an action packed game that saw six second half goals.

A combination of Kris Commons' skill and bad luck were the Lilywhites undoing in the end.

It was a decent display from PNE who scored three fantastic goals, but Derby's in-form side would have been a match for anybody on this performace. 

North End took the lead in the eighth minute when Jon Parkin took down debutant Tom Williams' pass to slot home. A huge slice of bad luck brought about the equaliser, after Lonergan's save hit Billy Jones resulting in an own goal on 32 minutes. Kris Commons, who had a magnificent game made it 2-1 in the 49th minute before Chris Sedgwick levelled things ten minutes later.

A Rob Hulse brace either side of a Shaun Barker goal then put the game out of North End's reach at 5-2. Chris Brown added a stoppage time goal for Preston, but it was too little too late.

Derby County came into the game on the back of a 3-0 win over former league leaders Newcastle and were looking to continue that form at home to PNE. Nigel Clough named Michael Tonge in the starting eleven, who spent a month on loan at Deepdale earlier in the season.

PNE manager Darren Ferguson gave a debut to new loan signing Williams. The defender went straight into the side at left back whilst skipper Callum Davidson was still out injured. That was the first of two changes, with Neill Collins playing instead of Youl Mawene in the other. Sean St Ledger Captained the side as they looked to build on the performances against Sheffield United and Blackpool with a win.

The first chance of the game came within the first minute, and fell to Derby. Stephen Pearson crossed from the left, and it was Commons who broke through in the middle but he was well blocked off by the PNE backline.

The new man Williams was the arcitect for the first goal, with a beautifully executed long ball over the top for Parkin. Parkin did well to take it out of the air and hit his right footed shot into Stephen Bywater's bottom right from the right of the box to give PNE a eighth minute lead.

Following the goal, North End looked to hit Derby on the counter attack, The Rams were really piling on the pressure at the other end. The 23rd minute brought about their fifth corner of the game, and although nothing came of it, there was no doubt Preston were up against it.

On the half hour Preston nearly fell victim to a fantastic sweeping move, ending with dangerman Commons forcing a fine save from Lonergan. The former Nottingham Forest man had cut in from the right and hammered a left foot strike down low at Lonergan's near post, who did well to push wide for Derby's seventh corner.

In the 32nd minute Derby were handed a huge slice of luck when a Jones own goal drew them level. Paul Green shot on the half volley from ten yards out which was brilliantly saved by Lonergan once again. Unfortunately for North End the rebound struck Jones and the ball rolled over the line.

The woodwork was then struck twice, one at either end. Derby were first do so, when McEveley hit a good shot from around 35 yards out on the left. It hit the underside of the crossbar and, fortunately for PNE, fell to a red shirt. Parkin then did the same at the other end, only this time with a header from a Paul Coutts corner in the 35th minute. Derby could count themselves lucky after it struck the bar and fell kindly onto the head of a Rams defender and was cleared.

Derby were the first to threaten in the second half, and it was a real goal mouth scramble this time. Commons started the move with a free kick swung in towards Green, resulting in a corner which was never properly cleared. Commons fired it in towards the far post, with Tonge getting on the end of it in the from of an overhead kick, which was thankfully cleared for a corner.

Preston's sigh of relief didn't last long though, as Commons gave the Rams a second half lead from the corner in the 49th minute. Lonergan had come for a cross from the left, and managed to get something on it, however the ball dropped for Commons in the box, and his right foot volley from eight yards made the net bulge.

Following this goal North End defended resolutely and PNE reaped the rewards of this in the 62nd minute when Sedgwick made it 2-2 with a brilliantly worked goal. Parkin held it up well on the edge of the box before putting Sedgwick through on goal. The midfielder made no mistake from eight yards out, placing it left footed into the corner of the net.

They say you're most vulnerable after you score, and this proved the case when a minute later, Rob Hulse got his first of the game and made it 3-2 to Derby. The striker took the ball down neatly, then his turn and shot gave Lonergan no chance from 12 yards.

Shaun Barker gave Derby a seemingly unassailable 4-2 lead in the 68th minute. Jones had been pulled up for a foul on the left, and Commons curled his free kick straight onto the head of Barker at the far post whose header snuck in.

Derby then added another soon after, in what was an incredible second half. Hulse was the man to make it 5-2 after Lonergan had come for the cross but lost it under what he felt to be an unfair challenge. However, it wasn't given and Hulse prodded it home from close range in the 76th minute.

In the meantime both teams made changes. Preston brought on Keith Treacy and Chris Brown for goalscorers Chris Sedgwick and Jon Parkin. Derby brought off Stephen Pearson for David Martin on the left wing.

Deep into the five minutes of stoppage time North End did manage to get one back through substitute Chris Brown. It was the third goal of real quality starting with Williams on the left, who found Treacy in the box. The former Blackburn man did well to hook it back for Brown, who's diving header made it 5-3.

Brown's goal proved to be little more than a consolation as the referee blew the final whistle on a 5-3 defeat for Preston at the hands of Nigel Clough's Derby County.