Dave Seddon's verdict: Huddersfield 1 Preston 2 - Raise a glass to two-goal hero Alan Browne and Emil Riis

Browne hadn’t scored since February 22, eight long months ago when fans were still allowed in stadiums and pubs could freely open.

Back then the Irishman might have been tempted to celebrate with a quick tipple in his favourite Baluga bar.

Now it needs a substantial meal to chase down a pint and you need to be on your way home by 10pm.

With another match on Wednesday, celebrating a return to the scoresheet will have to wait for Browne.

If he is tempted any time soon to grace Baluga – the city centre pub PNE fans sing about in his honour – Browne should take Emil Riis along to toast a job well done.

The Irishman had his name on the scoresheet but it was Riis who was the stand-out performer in a green shirt.

He didn’t give the Terriers defence a moment’s rest and was the width of the bar from scoring his first Preston goal.

When Naby Sarr chose to stop him by foul means rather than fair in the 78th minute, the Huddersfield defender was sent-off.

That was the cue for a finale to the clash which bordered on the bonkers.

Both sides struck the woodwork in stoppage-time, the hosts through Pipa as they chased an equaliser, Riis crashing a shot against the underside of the bar in a bid to make it three.

End-to-end thrilling stuff, creating both excitement and heart in the mouth material depending on which penalty box the action was in.

Compare this to the drab 0-0 draw the sides produced at the same venue in July. It was the polar opposite.

North End were bang out of form at the time and Huddersfield content for a point to shift them further away from the relegation zone.

Fast forward three months and the mind set had changed.

Alex Neil took his side to Yorkshire intent on building on last Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Queens Park Rangers.

In July it was Danny Cowley stood along the touchline from him, this time it was Carlos Corberan.

Recruited in the summer from Marcelo Bielsa’s coaching staff at Leeds, Corberan is attempting to implement a similar style which Bielsa has done a few junctions along the M62.

The Spaniard conducted proceedings from the home dug out clad in white skinny chinos and matching trainers.

Neil wore his standard grey PNE tracksuit and while he might have come second on the catwalk, he strode out of the John Smith’s Stadium with three points – the first Preston manager to do so.

In five previous visits spread over 20 years to the venue in its various sponsors guises, a 0-0 draw had been as good as it got.

Not since 1992 at Town’s old Leeds Road ground had North End won on Huddersfield soil.

I would say they were good value for the win, a third in a row on their travels.

They fell behind during a ropey opening spell in which Corberan’s side got right on top.

But once they found their feet in a 3-5-2 system which Neil had hurriedly switched to before kick-off on seeing the Huddersfield team sheet, the visitors were very good.

Five decent chances created in the first half served notice that North End had it in them to claw this one back.

That they did and more in the early stages of the second half, shades of Brentford away three weeks ago.

It wasn’t four goals in 18 minutes like in London, instead it was two in two from Browne.

The skipper curled a shot past keeper Ben Hamer in the 51st minute to equalise.

When two minutes later Hamer bumped into Sarr as he tried to pluck Joe Rafferty’s cross out of the air, Browne hooked home the loose ball.

From there the contest settled into a pattern of the hosts on the attack with PNE countering them every time they intercepted.

In Riis they had the perfect striker to counter, the Dane happy to run either channel and bring others into play.

The £1.2m signing from Randers FC really was good in the Yorkshire rain, a player prepared to get his head up and see how to develop play.

He deserved a goal, that almost coming in the seventh minute of stoppage-time – two more than that signalled by the fourth official.

Riis took the ball across the face of Town defence, then doubled back on himself into the box where he hammered a shot against the bar.

Had that gone in it would have been on the icing on the cake of a fine away day.

Neil had intended to go with a 4-2-3-1, anticipating Huddersfield to play 4-3-3.

Their inclusion of skipper Christopher Schindler on the team sheet gave notice of them lining-up 3-5-2, Neil choosing to match them.

Jordan Storey, Pat Bauer and Andrew Hughes formed the three-man defence, with Browne at right wing-back and Rafferty on the left.

Ryan Ledson, Brad Potts and Daniel Johnson patrolled midfield, with Scott Sinclair partnering Riis up front.

Corberan’s switch seemed to out-fox PNE to start with, Fraizer Campbell running on to Liam O’Brien’s through ball to slide a shot past Declan Rudd in the eighth minute.

But as Preston adapted to their shape, you saw them grow into the game.

Cue Browne’s goalscoring heroics with the half-time tea barely digested.

Potts’ cross came off Johnson and fell to Browne to the left of goal, his shot bending into the far corner.

Two minutes later, Rafferty got possesion on the left-wing, checked on to his right foot and curled over a cross.

Hamer moved towards his far post to claim but bumped against Sarr and flapped.

Browne was in the right place to hook it left-footed back over Hamer into the net.

Later it was Browne’s pass which sent Riis chasing down the left channel and past Sarr who bundled him over, referee Josh Smith pulling out the red card for the professional foul.

Stoppage-time was interesting, Pipa hitting a shot against the outside of Rudd's near post, Barkhuizen forcing a fine save from Hamer after being played in by Riis, then the Dane's shot against the bar.

It got a bit too much at times for those of a Huddersfield leaning in the directors' box, some of who didn't hold back with comments aimed in referee Smith's direction.