Cameron Archer’s second goal for the club earned Preston North End a 1-0 victory away to Hull City.
It was a game full of action, with both sides coming close in a somehow goalless first half, but Archer popped up just six minutes into the second period – soon after Alan Browne saw a goal disallowed – to score what proved to be the match-winner.
The Aston Villa loanee came in as one of three changes made from the midweek draw against Millwall, with Alan Browne and Patrick Bauer the other alterations.
The chances started early, just three minutes in, with Daniel Iversen producing a superb reflex save to keep out a deflected Di’Shon Bernard header from six yards.
PNE couldn’t have come much closer to opening the scoring halfway into the first period, with Bauer heading across goal for Archer, with a defender just beating him to the ball, before Andrew Hughes then saw his header hit the crossbar, and the follow-up from Riis was clawed off the line by goalkeeper Matt Ingram.
Just a minute later, the hosts had a glorious opportunity themselves and North End had Daniel Iversen to thank for a superb stop at point-blank range to keep out Tom Eaves’ header.
Archer then came so close on two occasions within the same phase of play on 38 minutes, seeing two low left-footed strikes kept out by Ingram, the second of which was tipped onto the post.
The game was somehow goalless at the break, but PNE thought they had taken the lead just five minutes into the second period through Browne, who fired into the roof of the net from ten yards, but he was penalised for a handball.
North End weren’t made to wait long for the opener, though, with Whiteman soon finding Archer in the box, who took the ball in well before sending it beyond Ingram.
The hosts had a goal cancelled out themselves not long later, this time because of an offside decision against Eaves, who had found the bottom corner.
From that point on, PNE managed to control the game, even pushing for a second, but in the end they weren’t to need it as Ryan Lowe’s men left East Yorkshire with all three points.
Hull City line-up: Ingram; Bernard (Jones, 58), McLoughlin, Greaves; Longman (Forss, 54), Smallwood (Allahyar, 84), Docherty, Fleming; Honeyman, Eaves, Lewis-Potter. Subs not used: Cartwright, Huddlestone, Slater, Walsh.
PNE line-up: Iversen; van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes; Potts (Johnson, 67), Whiteman, Browne, McCann, Cunningham; Riis (Evans, 60), Archer (Ledson, 87). Subs not used: Ripley, Lindsay, Sinclair, Earl.
Attendance: 14,273 (PNE fans TBC).
Referee: Mr D Bond.