Emil Riis’ goal just seven minutes in earned Preston North End a 1-0 victory at home to West Brom.
Riis scored his second of the season – his first at Deepdale – after meeting Álvaro Fernández’s pinpoint cross from the left, and that proved enough for the three points.
Ryan Lowe made two changes to his team from the weekend, with Ali McCann and Sean Maguire coming into the starting XI – the latter for the first time this season.
Those two incomings came so close to scoring inside four minutes, as Robbie Brady found Maguire, who saw a header saved well by Alex Palmer, before McCann then had two efforts denied.
North End didn’t have to wait long for the goal, though, as Álvaro Fernández sent a superb cross in from the left hand side, and Riis connected with it brilliantly to send it beyond Palmer and into the back of the net.
West Brom almost had an instant response through Grady Diangana, with the attacker sending a dangerous ball right across the face of goal, and Karlan Grant at the back post was a matter of inches away from getting a touch.
The lively Maguire almost found his side’s second of the night halfway through the first period, at the end of a long spell of PNE possession, but his low effort zipped just wide.
McCann was then denied by the post on 41 minutes, with the ball falling kindly to him from a deflected Maguire pass, and the midfielder struck the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.
Freddie Woodman was called upon for the first time a few minutes later by Jed Wallace, who powered a left-footed strike goalwards, only to be denied by a strong save from North End’s No.1.
On the other side of half-time, Woodman came up with an even better stop to frustrate Grant after the forward was found by Diangana, and PNE’s goalkeeper stuck out his right leg to great effect from pretty much a one-on-one situation.
The Baggies then had another big chance through Wallace just a matter of moments later and again Woodman was equal to it.
Chances didn’t come quite as often in the second half, with PNE limited to little going forward, although there were bright breaks from the likes of goalscorer Riis and substitute Brad Potts.
West Brom had plenty of the ball themselves in the late stages of the game, but PNE once again showed their strength in defence to hold on to a ninth clean sheet of the Championship campaign.
PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham; Browne (Potts, 68), Whiteman, Brady (Ledson, 74), McCann, Fernández; Riis (Parrott, 85), Maguire (Woodburn, 74). Subs not used: Cornell, Johnson, Hughes.
West Brom line-up: Palmer; Gardner-Hickman, Kelly, O’Shea, Townsend; Molumby (Rogic, 60), Okay (Livermore, 58); Wallace, Swift (Phillips, 74), Diangana; Grant (Thomas-Asante, 72). Subs not used: Button, Pieters, Reach.
Attendance: 13, 924 (718 away fans)
Referee: Mr J Smith.