Preston North End secured a third successive home victory with a win over Queens Park Rangers, thanks to goals from Emil Riis and Cameron Archer.
Riis put the home side ahead just a few moments before half-time, finishing off from Andrew Hughes’ cross, before Archer’s seventh goal for the club made it two shortly into the second period.
There was a very late consolation for the visitors, though, as Andre Gray scored a penalty to make the final score 2-1.
There was just one change from Tuesday’s victory in the Lancashire derby, with Ali McCann coming in for the ill Brad Potts.
After a quiet opening to the game, it was the visitors with the first real chance of the afternoon, with the ball falling kindly to Andre Dozzell in space ten yards out, but Daniel Iversen made himself big to deny the midfielder.
Iversen produced another good save on the half-hour mark, this time tipping wide an effort from Ilias Chair, before seeing Dozzell send another shot wide a few moments later.
At the other end, PNE’s first real chance of the match fell to the skipper, with a lovely flick from Cameron Archer sending Alan Browne through on goal, and he beat the goalkeeper but Moses Odubajo blocked just a few yards in front of the goal-line.
North End did take the lead, though, a couple of minutes before the break, as Hughes sent a low cross towards the near post and Riis nicked in front of his man to flick home. The Dane was forced off through injury shortly after, though, with Sean Maguire on in his place.
PNE doubled their advantage five minutes into the second period as Johnson found Tuesday’s match-winner Archer, who cut onto his left and fired goalwards, with his effort taking a deflection and finding the roof of the net.
The visitors could have had one back soon after but North End’s defence stood strong, firstly blocking Sam Field’s effort before Iversen then denied Lyndon Dykes.
PNE almost made it three on 68 minutes, with Maguire feeding Archer, who saw his low shot saved before Maguire’s follow-up was smothered by QPR debutant Murphy Mahoney.
Both teams were then left to wonder how they didn’t get the third goal of the game, with Iversen saving well to keep out Gray in a one-on-one situation, before Archer’s effort from six yards was somehow blocked on the line.
Archer was replaced late on by Mikey O'Neill, with the 17-year-old coming on for his senior debut, before North End conceded a late consolation goal, with Gray scoring from the spot after Johnson had fouled Sam Field in the area.
PNE line-up: Iversen; van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes; McCann, Whiteman, Browne, Johnson, Cunningham (Murphy, 70); Riis (Maguire, 45), Archer (O'Neill, 90). Subs not used: Ripley, Rafferty, Sinclair, Diaby.
QPR line-up: Mahoney; Odubajo, Sanderson, Dunne, McCallum; Field, Dozzell, Amos (Thomas, 57), Johansen; Chair (Gray, 69), Dykes (Austin, 68). Subs not used: Kakay, Ball, Adomah.
Attendance: 10,873 (721 QPR fans)
Referee: Mr T Harrington.