Stoke City 0-1 Preston North End - Evans wins it at the death

Evans’ header from Alan Browne’s corner was enough to given PNE the win and send them up to 10th in the table, two points off the play-offs.

Ryan Lowe made four changes to his side from the defeat to West Bromwich Albion, Bambo Diaby, Andrew Hughes, Ali McCann and Daniel Johnson all coming into the side. It was Diaby's first start since the reverse fixture in October.

Jordan Storey dropped out of the squad, with Patrick Bauer, Brad Potts and Ryan Ledson dropped to the bench.

PNE only got going at 3:15pm, though that wasn't a slow start on the pitch. Due to traffic and difficulties for supporters getting to the game, Stoke and North End started their first game of 2023 a little later than they had initially anticipated.

They had their first attacking moment in the game 11 minutes in as Alvaro Fernandez got on the end of a neat ball round the corner from Emil Riis but his volley was smothered by a few Potters bodies.

Harry Clarke knew how that felt eight minutes later as a corner fell to him in the PNE box but his well struck effort was thwarted by yellow shirts.

Jordan Thompson fired a shot over for the home side on 21' minutes, a minute later Riis had to be withdrawn due to an injury picked up going over on his ankle as he crossed the ball at full pace.

The home side continued to be the ones asking the questions in an attacking sense, Will Smallbone's cutback finding Jacob Brown after 34 minutes but the latter couldn't get it on target.

He was flagged offside too on 40 minutes after Josh Tymon's cross was sent towards goals by Tyrese Campbell with Brown popping up on the line to flick it at goal. Freddie Woodman was down to attempt a save on the goal line though the flag was already up.

The Potters cranked up the pressure to end the first half, Woodman first tipping Campbell's header beyond the post before, in the final minute of stoppage time, he made a vital stop with his legs to prevent Brown making it 1-0 from close range.

The home side were again the ones likeliest to score in the second half, though neither side could carve out a chance.

Jordan Thompson was given a booking after smart work from Ben Whiteman, carrying the ball forward half of the pitch whilst going past two Potters defenders nine minutes into the second half.

A lovely turn from Evans first time saw the Welshman get away down the right wing but his ball into the box was cut out on 64 minutes.

Most of the action in the second half came in the closing stages. First the home side had a chance to open the scoring. Nick Powell, who had come off the bench for Stoke. nodded the ball down to fellow substitute Liam Delap who got to the ball ahead of Woodman just six yards out but could not direct his touch towards goal after 83 minutes.

A minute later it was instead PNE that could have broken the deadlock. Woodman's long kick forward landed for Ben Woodburn one on one with the goalkeeper, the Welshman took it on the volley as it bounced up and forced a good save from Jack Bonham.

With a minute to go in the 90, Ali McCann tried to find the top corner from the edge of the box but couldn't keep his side-footed strike down.

But the best was saved for last as North End stole it late on. Alan Browne's corner from the left was whipped in towards the near post where Evans was up first to flick the ball on and in off the inside of the far post, sending North End's no.9 and the travelling PNE fans into raptures four minutes into five added on.

The win saw PNE end a losing run of three games and shot them back into play-off contention.

PNE Starting XI: Woodman, Diaby, Lindsay, Hughes, Browne, Whiteman, McCann, Johnson (Ledson, 90+5'), Fernandez, Riis (Woodburn, 23'), Evans.

PNE subs: Cornell, Bauer, Cunningham, Potts, Cross-Adair.Stoke City Starting XI: Bonham, Clarke, Souttar, Wilmot, Fox, Baker (Laurent, 79'), Thompson, Campbell, Smallbone, Tymon, Brown (Delap, 64').

Stoke City subs: Bursik, Kilkenny, Fosu, Powell, Taylor.

Attendance: 20,034 (1,606 away)