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Goals from Chris Brown and Neil Mellor gave Alan Irvine's side victory against a lively Doncaster side and cut the gap on sixth-placed Burnley - beaten 3-1 at Cardiff - to just four points with three games to play.

It was a much more encouraging performance than the one which left fans dejected on derby day against Blackpool.

Rovers boasted one of the most miserly records at home in the Championship prior to North End's visit, with only 16 goals conceded in their previous 21 fixtures in their own stadium.

Brown, who has had to wait patiently in the shadow of fellow targetman Jon Parkin, netted his first goal since January with a firm header from Eddie Nolan's pinpoint cross.

Mellor, like Brown also making his first start for weeks, doubled the advantage after 72 minutes with a goal laid on by sub Parkin's first touch of the game.

And with fellow sub Stephen Elliott going close twice in the final minutes, the win was no more than North End deserved.

The pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium prompted a few worried looks from the Preston squad as they warmed up before the game.

Ground-sharing with rugby league and American football - among other things - had left the surface looking rutted and worn. And the conditions were certainly not of the quality North End have become accustomed to.

Andrew Lonergan was in action as early as the sixth minute when a cross by Gareth Roberts on the left was met by a firm header from James Hayter, but the effort was gobbled up by the keeper.

Two minutes later at the other end full-back Billy Jones thundered in to meet an inswinging right-wing corner from Ross Wallace, but his bullet header flew over the top.

The game swung backwards and forwards as both teams tried to gain control of a lively ball and Lonergan again came to the rescue when Lewis Guy broke through the middle only to see the Preston gloveman throw himself at his feet and knock it off his boot.

On 24 minutes North End should have fallen behind, but their luck was in as a ball in from the left was glanced on by Martin Woods and Hayter, in at the far post to finish it off, kicked the post instead of the ball!

As so often happens, a lucky escape at one end becomes a goal at the other. And so it turned out for Preston.

The very next move saw Nolan gallop off down the left wing, his cross on the run was inch-perfect for Brown to power home with his head from close range.

Real purpose

Doncaster responded with a header from Matt Mills at a corner which flashed inches wide of the far post. And back up the other end Jones was agonisingly too high with a flying header from a cross by Chris Sedgwick.

Mellor, always on the look-out for a chance to shoot, let fly from 25 yards and was only just wide with keeper Sullivan scrambling across to his right-hand post.

Doncaster came out for the second half with real purpose and had North End on the back foot from the first whistle. A long ball down the middle caused a heart-stopping moment in the visitors' box before Lonergan slid in and grabbed it before Guy could knock it past him. And moments later Guy had a great chance from a right-wing cross,
but he nodded tamely into the keeper's gloves.

Mellor thought he had doubled Preston's lead in the 55th minute when he capitalised on an awful mix-up between keeper Sullivan and his full-back Gareth Roberts, the ball springing loose and the striker diving forward to head it into the empty net. But the goal was ruled out by referee Iain Williamson after his linesman flagged for what he felt had
been a push by Mellor.

Chris Sedgwick let fly with a first-time shot along the floor after a knock-down by Brown, but Sullivan got across smartly to block.

Boss Irvine sent on Parkin after 71 minutes with goalscorer Brown getting a warm round of applause from the home fans as well as the 1,445 North End supporters as he left the field.

Rousing support

And The Beast's first touch helped double Preston's lead. The ball was played into his feet on the edge of the area, he turned and tried to get a shot in, the effort was half-blocked but rolled forward to Mellor and he controlled before shooting past Sullivan into the right-hand corner.

Hayter had a penalty shout rejected by Mr Williamson after he had gone down as Lonergan slid in to save at his feet. The referee and his better-placed assistant ruled the keeper had taken the ball.

Elliott went close twice in the final stages as Preston finished the stronger of the two teams. And the Preston fans who had given their side rousing vocal support throughout the game erupted in celebration at the final whistle.

Manager Irvine had decided to swap his strikers around for the trip across the Pennines.

The front two were the only changes to the side beaten by the old enemy Blackpool in Saturday's derby game at Deepdale.

Brown's appearance in the side - his first start for more than a month - brought him face-to-face with a club he was on loan at for two-thirds of a season in 2003/4.

Doncaster, fresh from an impressive 3-1 win at Ipswich on Saturday, made three changes to their starting line-up.

Joa Van Nieuwstadt replaced the injured Adam Lockwood, while Lewis Guy and James Hayter came in for John Spicer and Paul Heffernan.

Doncaster Rovers: Sullivan, Chambers, Mills, Van Nieuwstadt, Roberts, Wilson, Wellens, Woods, Shiels, Hayter, Guy.

Substitutes: Fairhurst, Spicer, Heffernan, Hird, Lua-Lua.

Preston North End: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St Ledger, Nolan, Sedgwick, McKenna, Williamson, Wallace, Mellor, Brown.

Substitutes: Neal, Carter, Chilvers, Parkin, Elliott.

Referee: Iain Williamson (Berkshire).