But Alan Irvine's side only had themselves to blame on a night when they failed to turn pressure into goals.

North End were hit by a sucker punch five minutes before the break when Paul Green took advantage of some slack marking to get his head to a left-wing cross from Jordan Stewart and send the ball looping over Andrew Lonergan.

The strike came just two minutes after Przemyslaw Kazmierczak had clipped the outside of the left-hand post after Kris Commons had skipped past Michael Hart on the other flank and put in a cross which the home defence could only turn out to the edge of the box.

Those two chances were the only real threat the Rams could muster in a first half largely controlled by Preston.

And they came up with precious little else in the second period, although Paul Jewell's side had loud appeals for a penalty rejected late on when Emmanuel Villa appeared to be pulled down by Sean St Ledger.

Lonergan pulled off a good save to keep out a Rob Hulse header and it needed a timely tackle from Billy Jones to stop the striker wriggling through shortly afterwards.

But for the rest of the evening it was largely Preston who had the possession without really stretching Roy Carroll in the Rams' goal.

In the late stages North End threw everything they had at Derby, including keeper Lonergan as a makeshift striker in the final minute, but they could not find a way through.

At the start Derby ran out in luminous green shirts, causing referee Jon Moss and his staff to go into a huddle over a possible clash with the jackets of police officers in the stand at offside decisions.

Safety

Preston took charge from the kick-off and the first chance fell to Wallace, but the winger blazed wide.

The visitors drew first blood - literally - when Jones, playing in the centre of defence, had to dash off the field to have a head wound attended to in the medical room.

Keeper Lonergan, who underhit a punch for Sheffield Wednesday's goal at the weekend, made sure with his first of the evening, flattening striker Hulse as well as fisting the ball to safety.

Midway through the first half Neil Mellor found space on the edge of the box and thumped in a shot which hit keeper Carroll so hard in the chest it knocked him off his feet.

Karl Hawley slipped as he tried to get a shot in on the turn. And at the other end Miles Addison was judged to have turned a right wing corner just wide of the near post, although his marker Darren Carter appeared to be the one who put it behind.

Preston were almost caught out when Commons got away down the right flank in the 38th minute.

Michael Hart charged in and sold himself, and the winger went on before curling a low cross into the middle. The ball came off a defender's boot and came out to Kazmierczak and his shot clipped the outside of the left-hand post.

Tripped

North End failed to heed the warning and Derby moved forward again to break the deadlock two minutes later. Stewart launched a cross from the left-hand side and the unmarked Green planted a header over Lonergan into the opposite corner of the net.

Preston had a chance to level on the stroke of half-time when Darren Carter was tripped just outside the box, but keeper Carroll got down smartly to save Wallace's dipping free-kick.

After the break North End could have been on terms within 10 seconds of the kick-off, but Mellor could not quite make the contact he wanted as he slid in for a Sedgwick cross.

At the other end Commons was not far off from 25 yards and Lonergan had to get down to his left to save from Hulse's downward header. Only a great tackle by Jones prevented Hulse getting through on goal.

And Mellor was only just wide with a diving header for Preston.

Derby had loud claims for a penalty ignored when Emmanuel Villa looked to be pulled back by St Ledger.

In a final assault on the Derby goal, with Lonergan up to lend a hand as a spare striker, North End could not get the ball in the net with Jones getting the best chance but pulling his shot across the face of goal.

Boss Irvine had shuffled his pack for the cup tie, making four changes to the side which started Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Run-out

Out went Youl Mawene, Barry Nicholson, Richard Chaplow and Simon Whaley.

In came Hart, Carter, Wallace and Hawley as North End chased a place in Saturday's third round draw - and the arrival in the competition of big clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Both Hawley and Wallace were given a start after impressing when they were sent on as second-half substitutes at Hillsborough. Their introduction into the side sparked Preston into life and helped salvage a point.

Hart and Carter were both given a run-out for the patience they have shown sitting on the bench in league games.

Jones moved into the centre of defence to give Mawene's knee a rest and accommodate Hart.

Derby boss Paul Jewell, whose only outright win since taking charge last November was the first-round victory against Lincoln City, rang the changes too in an attempt to kickstart the Rams' season.

He dropped three members of his back four, including former PNE favourites Tyrone Mears and Claude Davis, and also dumped midfielder Robbie Savage out of the 18-man squad altogether.

PNE: Lonergan, Hart, Jones, St Ledger, Hill, Sedgwick, McKenna, Carter, Wallace, Mellor, Hawley.

Substitutes: C Neal, Chaplow, Mawene, Jarrett, Nicholson, Whaley, Ormerod.

Derby: Carroll, Connelly, Leacock, Albrechtsen, Stewart, Green, Kazmierczak, Addison, Commons, Hulse, Villa.

Substitutes: Bywater, McEveley, Mears, Sterjovski, Davies, Pearson, Pereplotkins.

Referee: Jon Moss (West Yorkshire).