A soggy Deepdale night failed to dampen the spirits of Preston North End after they completed an impressive 3-0 victory over Sam Allardyce's Blackburn Rovers outfit.
Paul Hayes made a memorable Deepdale debut for Darren Ferguson's men grabbing a brace of first half goals, both with his head, before Chris Brown tied things up with a second half penalty.
Ferguson will have been pleased with both the performance and the result in difficult conditions, a match which takes the Lilywhites one game closer to the start of the 2010/11 campaign.
The North End boss named a likely-looking line-up with three of the Club's summer signings getting a run-out including David Gray, Craig Morgan and Paul Hayes. There was also a place in the eleven for Danny Mayor who was given another chance to shine on the right flank.
Blackburn's starting eleven had a few familiar names, including David Dunn, Morton Gamst Pedersen and Michel Salgado.
An early chance for the Lilywhites in the second minute of the match. A counter-attack from a Blackburn corner, Danny Mayor turned in acres of space on the half-way line and sent the ball in behind the Blackburn defence, Paul Coutts put pressure on Olsson, the big centre-half slipped but Coutts couldn't get near the ball in the slippery conditions.
Mayor was at the heart of everything positive for the Lilywhites and on 12 minutes he brought a Treacy crossfield down comfortably, drove at the Rovers defence before hitting a low skimming cross towards the back post. Unfortunately for Preston there was no white shirt within range to capitalise.
Lonergan was forced into action two minutes later. Gamst Pederson hit a dangerous free-kick from 25-yards out, the ball clipped the PNE wall of defenders and span just a yard over the crossbar.
North End grabbed the opening goal of the game in the 19th minute of the match. It was a well worked move from the back of defence to the Blackburn goal. Paul Hayes with the nodded effort, unmarked in the Blackburn box from a perfect Callum Davidson cross on the left.
The visitors best chance of the first half came on the half hour mark. A typically long ball was hoofed into the North End area, the ball fell at the feet of Blackburn's Junior Hoilett and the lively striker span and shot at goal, Lonergan feeling the pace of the shot was forced to parry the ball away.
Another wicked dipping cross from the right for North End almost saw them double their advantage. It was a great delivery from Danny Mayor, right across the face of goal, Chris Brown got a leg to it but he just couldn't get enough purchase on the ball to turn the ball home into the net.
Paul Coutts was the next North End player to get a chance at goal. The ball was hit deep into the box across from the left by Davidson, Rovers nodded it away but only to Coutts on the edge of the box, the Scotsman took one touch before blasting the ball high over the bar.
Hoilett was determined to get on the score sheet for Blackburn and with 37 minutes of the game gone the striker picked the ball up 25 yards out and hit a snap shot that had plenty of power but none of the direction, it flew two yards over the bar.
It wasn't all about Mayor on the right in the first half, Keith Treacy provided plenty of width from the left and with two minutes left of the first half to go he provided a fine cross from the left. It was begging to be slotted home but Hayes could not get near the ball to turn it home.
Hayes was in the right place at the right time moments later though. Treacy had won a free-kick out near the corner flag and he delivered the perfect ball into the box for Paul Hayes to glance the header beyond Paul Robinson.
North End went 3-0 up in the 56th minute of the match. A penalty was awarded to North End when Salgado jumped into Sean St. Ledger unnecessarily inside the box. The crowd called for Paul Hayes to step up and complete his hat-trick but it was Chris Brown who stepped up to confidently slot the ball past Robinson.
Paul Hayes got a great chance to complete the hat-trick on his own on 68 minutes.
Chris Brown flicked the ball into his path on the half-way line and Hayes bundled the ball beyond Phil Jones, the last line of Blackburn defence. Hayes was clear on goal but just as he was looking to pull the trigger Jones stuck out a leg and poked the ball beyond Hayes' reach.
North End's fans in the Sir Tom Finney Stand thought North End had scored four in the 70th minute. Sean St. Ledger was hacked down by fellow Irishman Keith Andrews on the edge of the box and another Irishman, Keith Treacy, hit a low curling effort at goal which found the side-netting, just inches wide.
The last twenty minutes of the match was a largely forgettable affair, a flurry of substitutions, in which several of North End's youngsters got an opportunity to impress in the torrential rain under the floodlights at Deepdale.
North End now take their impressive pre-season form to Saturday where they face another PNE old boy, David Moyes and Everton.
PNE: Lonergan, Gray (W Brown 46), Morgan, St. Ledger, Davidson, Mayor, Jones (McLaughlin 76), Coutts (Miller 86), Treacy (Douglas 89), C Brown (Dougan 73), Hayes (Proctor 89). Subs: Arestidou, Collins, Wright.
Blackburn: Robinson, Salgado, Olsson, Jones, Chimbonda, Givet, Andrews, Dunn, Hoilett, Nzonzi, Pederson. Subs: Aley, Fielding, Branco, Morris, Pearson, Potts, Judge.
Attendance: 5,067
