Match Report - Coventry City 0-1 Preston North End - Riis wins it late on

Emil Riis came off the bench to score the only goal of the game, and North End’s second of the season, to secure all three points for the Lilywhites on their travels.

Their clean sheet also equalled a club record for seven consecutive clean sheets and gave them the best defensive start to a season in English league football in 17 years.

Ryan Lowe made three changes for the game, dropping skipper Alan Browne and vice captain Daniel Johnson, as well as Ryan Ledson, Ali McCann was restored to the starting XI and Ben Woodburn and Ched Evans came in for their first league starts this season.

Alvaro Fernandez also came into the squad for the first time since the Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield Town where he picked up an ankle injury.

As they did when PNE last visited the Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry came quickly out of the blocks, looking to get in behind down their left wing.

It was the visitors though that had the first chance of note after nine minutes, a lovely passing move that saw Greg Cunningham step out of the back three and having a go from around 25 yards out, seeing his shot palmed around the post by Ben Wilson.

Woodburn headed at goal from a corner after 20 minutes but narrowly missed the target and Robbie Brady cut inside to shoot a minute later but it flashed past the far post.

The home side tested Freddie Woodman for the first time after 33 minutes, Callum Doyle stepping forward from left centre back and blasting at goal but North End's keeper was up to it with strong hands on the stretch.

Jake Bidwell followed up that chance a minute later to curl a shot wide from inside the box, shooting from left to right.

Then came the most controversial moment of the first half, Troy Parrott ran through at goal and poked the ball past Wilson who had come out of his area, and brought down the Irishman. Referee John Busby took his time before producing a yellow card, despite the PNE striker seemingly having a tap in should he not have been felled.

Parrott picked himself up and put the resulting free kick over the bar.

Coventry started the second half in the same way they started the first, with Martyn Waghorn seeing a shot from the right side of the box deflected onto the crossbar on 48 minutes.

Viktor Gyokeres cut inside from the left to shoot low at Woodman's near post after 50 minutes but couldn't beat the North End 'keeper.

Preston responded a minute later, Robbie Brady's fine cross from the right nodded back into the middle where Ben Whiteman shot over from the edge of the box, dead centre.

But it was the 73rd minute where PNE found their way through, the introduction of Riis and Fernandez the catalyst for it. The Dane had seen a shot turned away just moments earlier, trying to lob the ball over the 'keeper from close range, but he found the net second time around. It came from a shot by Parrott, striking on his left foot from the left side of the box, it was blocked into the path of Riis who made no mistake.

The home side were not for taking it lying down and Bidwell hit the bar from a header just two minutes after North End went ahead.

With five minutes to go North End could have had a second, Browne released Parrott in behind one on one but the striker bent his run and allowed a defender to get back, he attempted to square it to Riis but left his strike partner short.

The Dane was then played in one on one himself, this time by Fernandez but his right footed shot with the outside of his boot was saved behind a minute from the end of normal time.

PNE withstood five minutes of stoppage time to secure their seventh clean sheet of the season and their second win.

PNE Starting XI: Woodman, Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham, Potts (Fernandez, 66'), Whiteman, Woodburn (Browne, 57'), McCann, Brady, Parrott, Evans (Riis, 66').PNE Subs: Cornell, Bauer, Ledson, Johnson.

Coventry City XI: Wilson, Eccles (Dabo, 67'), Rose, McFadzean, Doyle, Bidwell, Allen, Sheaf (Hamer, 67') , Waghorn (Palmer, 67'), Godden, Gyokeres.

Coventry Subs: Moore, Panzo, Walker, Tavares.

Attendance: 18,913