Preston North End 0 Millwall 2 - Match report as PNE suffer yet another defeat at Deepdale

After two successive victories on the road, the Lilywhites were brought back down to earth with a bump by the South London side who won here for the second season running.

North End's dreadful home form this season is in contrast to results on the road and it never looked like improving in the Wednesday rain with Millwall the better side throughout.

Kenneth Zohore put the visitors in front nine minutes into the second half, PNE having been opened up on the counter attack.

They wrapped-up the three points in the 84th minute, Jed Wallace scoring from the penalty spot after Tom Barkhuizen had fouled Murray Wallace.

It was substitute Barkhuizen who had the home side's best chance of the night, goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski making a brave block from him to prevent an equaliser.

Somehow North End need to fine a cure for their Deepdale woes so the good work being done on the road doesn't go to waste.

Alex Neil had stuck with the same starting XI which had won at Queens Park Rangers and Huddersfield.

He switched the shape back to 4-2-3-1 after using a back three at Huddersfield, Emil Riis leading the line with Scott Sinclair and Brad Potts either side him - Daniel Johnson the further forward of the midfield.

Although North End saw their fair share of the ball in the first half, it was Millwall who the more creative in terms of working it forward and creating chances.

Potts struck a free-kick into the wall in the 11th minute, Riis having been fouled by Jake Cooper two yards outside the box.

Apart from a couple of crosses from Joe Rafferty and Sinclair which flashed across the box, PNE didn't too much headway going forward.

Millwall's first sight of goal came after a quarter of an hour when Mahlon Romeo came inside off the right-wing and had a shot which Ryan Ledson got in the way of to take behind for a corner.

Patrick Bauer made a similar intervention to deflect Zohore's effort, the Lions loan striker having spun behind the Preston defence down the left hand side of the box.

Jed Wallace warmed Declan Rudd's gloves with a shot straight at the goalkeeper, that following a crisp exchange of passing through the lines by the visitors.

Six minutes before half-time, Millwall counter-attacked after PNE pressure at the other end of the pitch, the break ending with Mason Bennett's shot from the edge of the box being tipped over the bar by Rudd.

North End lost the services of Bauer to illness at the interval, Paul Huntington replacing him at the heart of the defence.

The early exchanges of the second-half saw Johnson's low shot from the edge of the box deflect off a Millwall boot and trickle out for a corner.

Ledson's flag kick from the left travelled beyond the far post where Andrew Hughes headed wide.

Zohore glanced a header across goal and wide of the far post after meeting Scott Malone's cross, that proving to be a warning fired across PNE's bow as Millwall took the lead soon after.

Typically for North End at home this season, it came from a counter-attack, the visitors moving the ball up the field with Bennett's pass feeding Wallace behind the defence down the right hand side of the box.

Wallacein turn squared a pass into the path of Zohore who steered a simple finish past Rudd..

Neil immediately replaced Potts with Josh Harrop, with Barkhuizen then coming off the bench to take the place of Ledson.

It was Barkhuizen who had a great chance to equalise in the 69th minute, Johnson dropping a fine ball over the Millwall back line to pick out the substitute's run.

Barkhuizen took a touch and Bialkowski dashed from his line to block the shot at close quarters.

In all honesty that a rare chance for North End, the visitors' advantage comfortably staying in tact.

And it was a lead Millwall increased from the penalty spot six minutes from time.

Barkhuizen clipped Murray Wallace from behind as the defender shaped to shoot in the box after Rudd had pushed out a cross.

Referee Darren Bond pointed to the spot and Jed Wallace sent Rudd the wrong way, sparking big celebrations among the Millwall players - Bialkowski racing up field to join his team-mates.

PNE: Rudd, Rafferty, Bauer (Huntington 46), Storey, Hughes, Ledson (Barkhuizen 64), Browne, Sinclair Johnson, Potts (Harrop 55), Riis. Subs (not used): Earl, Stockley, Maguire, Ripley.

Millwall: Bialkowski, Hutchinson, M Wallace, Cooper, Romeo, Leonard, Woods, Malone, J Wallace (Ferguson 90), Bennett (Bodvarsson 72) Zohore (Bradshaw 75). Subs (not used): Thompson, Smith, Mahoney, Fielding.

Referee: Darren Bond (Wigan)