Preston North End returned to winning ways on the occasion of manager Alan Irvine's 100th game in charge of North End by beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in a full-blooded Battle of the Roses.

Despite waves of early pressure from the home team Neil Mellor was the man who opened the scoring, reacting brilliantly to a Nolan cross to curl in on 20 minutes past Grant.

Wednesday struck back later in the half with a cracking free-kick from Michael Gray but Jon Parkin was the match winner in the second half, latching onto a Neil Mellor cross to stroke North End to victory.

From back to front it was a much improved performance from the weekend's game with Lonergan in inspired form in goal and the ten men in front of him working their socks off to preserve the one goal advantage.

Wednesday came closest to equalling the game late in the second period when Jermaine Johnson looked set to prod the leveller but the outstanding Liam Chilvers was first to react and dived to head clear for PNE.

The midfield four performed brilliantly in denying Wednesday the space to repeat their pacy attacks of the first half and up front Jon Parkin and Neil Mellor were a constant threat.

Alan Irvine made four changes from the side that lost at Loftus Road at the weekend with the defence the main area of alteration. Liam Chilvers replaced Youl Mawene, Billy Jones returned to right back for Michael Hart with Eddie Nolan returning from international duty to slot in on the left flank. The two other replacements were Darren Carter in the middle of the park for Veliche Sumulikoski and Jon Parkin for Chris Brown up front.

Brian Laws' side started much brighter and understandably so after their impressive 2-0 win against Coventry at the weekend. Lewis Buxton was the first to test Andy Lonergan in the second minute, cutting inside Nolan and charging into the middle but the North End number one was equal to his near post shot.

The Hillsborough side's next chance came from a set-piece with Jermaine Johnson connecting onto a Michael Gray corner, outjumping the PNE defence but fortunately for PNE nodding his headed effort bounced over.

In the early stages it was at times the Andy Lonergan show and his save from Leon Clarke on 10 minutes was worthy of the plaudits. The Owls number 18 had nipped in ahead of the defence and from less than six yards only had Lonergan to beat but the Preston-born stopper stuck out an instinctive hand and a certain goal was avoided by a save that can justifiably be termed 'world class'.

Gradually the game evened out and the red-shirted away side almost took the lead in bizarre circumstances on 13 minutes. Neil Mellor latched onto a long punt from Lonergan and kept the ball in after the home defence had thought it was going out. The number 33 worked it back to Sedgwick who crossed deep to Wallace, the Scotsman's instinctive left foot cross was met by Beevers who should have cleared but instead sidefooted only inches over Lee Grant's bar.

Much of Wednesday's attacking play was coming from the wings and Luke Varney was the next Owl to test Lonergan on 15 minutes. The loanee from Derby wriggled his way through the PNE defence but the keeper was out to snuff out the danger with a well timed parry.

But on 20 minutes North End struck and it was Neil Mellor who grabbed the all important goal. Eddie Nolan was the initiator on the left wing; he received his throw from Wallace and then turned Spurr to whip in a dangerous ball to Mellor at the near post where the former Liverpool man got his head onto the ball. It deflected off Purse and arrowed in in front of the away fans into Grant's left corner.

More enterprising play was to follow a few minutes later when Jon Parkin beat the offside trap to sprint onto a through ball from Chaplow. The Yorkshireman had space to find the onrushing Wallace who had called for it in space on the edge of the area, and but for an outstretched Owls boot Wallace would have had a clear opportunity to double PNE's advantage.

An exciting game sparked even further into action after the half-hour mark when dangerous winger Jermaine Johnson hit the same post twice within a minute. The left footer rifled in the first from twenty yards from the left flank but Lonergan tipped the ball acrobatically onto the post, only for the ball to rebound back to the Jamaican international who struck again but the same post saved PNE, much to the frustration of the exasperated home support.

The powerful presence of Jon Parkin caused all sorts of bother for the home defence in the first half. On forty minutes he latched onto a deep free-kick from Nolan and caused Grant to come off his line and punch into the air and Mellor and Carter were first to react with the latter getting their first, however his shot was an easy one for the home team.

Soon after that encouraging attack Wednesday equalised from a brilliant free-kick from Gray, he swung his left footer into the top corner, leaving Lonergan with little chance.

North End were quick to respond though. Neat play from Nolan and Carter released Mellor with the two centre halves between him and the goal however the striker's shot was saved at full stretch to his left.

With an entertaining half coming to a close, Wednesday came nearest to edging ahead through skipper Purse. The centre back swung his left foot in the eighteen yard box after a corner and his effort looked to be heading in but the same post that denied Johnson earlier on rescued PNE again.

The second half didn't start with the spark of the first with Wednesday surprisingly reluctant to add to the goal they scored before the break.

And the home side's stuttering play combined with excellent play from North End resulted in the away team taking the lead on 55 minutes. Nolan threaded the ball into the far left channel to Mellor and the opening goalscorer turned inside and released Parkin in the area and the big man wrongfooted Grant in the goal.

The goal seemed to kickstart the Yorkshiremen into life and Johnson was the first to test the PNE defence, firing in a left footed shot that Lonergan and co. scrambled clear to the relief of the 500 or so PNE fans behind the keeper's goal.

Varney was next to threaten a couple of minutes later ghosting inside Jones on the left wing before seeing his goalbound shot deflect wide of Collins into Lonergan's hands.

North End were certainly more assured in possession and Chaplow was on hand to remind the home fans of his team's threat when he was first to react to a cleared cross, muscling off O'Connor before flashing a shot wide.

At the centre of much of PNE's best forward play was the Sheffield-born frontman Mellor and his fellow striker Parkin. The two linked up to almost devastating effect on 69 minutes when the second goalscorer held off Purse to lay the ball into Mellor's path, the number 33 sprinted into the space allowed him but his curled left footed attempt went agonisingly wide of Grant's post.

The lack of movement from the blue and whites was the main source of frustration for the home supporters but a James O'Connor header almost made it equal, the midfielder nodding over from 12 yards on seventy minutes.

But movement from Carter in the 79th minute almost extended PNE's advantage, the former WBA man finding space at the back post of a Wallace corner but he could only tap wide.

At the back Liam Chilver and Neill Collins had repelled attempts from Wednesday all game and the former Colchester man produced his best defending on 81 minutes when he denied Johnson a certain goal. The winger had beaten Lonergan to a looped cross in and his header seemed set to make it 2-2 but Chilvers flung himself at the ball and cleared for a corner.

North End saw out the final stages with some heroic defending from the back four and tough tackles in the midfield and attack to see the red shirts to a hard-earned and deserved three points.

PNE: Lonergan, Jones, Chilvers, Collins, Nolan, Sedgwick, Carter, Chaplow, Wallace, Mellor, Parkin. Subs: Henderson, Hart, Mawene, Sumulikoski, Brown, Parry Elliott.
Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Spurr, Buxton, Purse, Potter, Beevers, O'Connor, Clarke, Varney, JOhnson, Gray. Subs: O'Donnell, Hinds, Miller, McAllister, Jeffers, Sodje, Simek