Tim Mercer's fans' panel verdict: Victory brings New Year cheer with Dobbin underlining his importance

With too many draws of late, momentum was starting to falter and had accumulated in a poor display and loss on Monday down in Wrexham.

In seasons past the long-suffering fans would have bemoaned a ‘typical North End’ home failure to put a struggling team to the sword, but cold Deepdale was for once warmed with three cracking goals to put any such fears to bed.

It also marked PNE’s first league double of the campaign and there is no doubt there will need to be some more come May and the shake-up for that precious top-six finish.

It was also good to see a rare Ali McCann goal for the opener, which he took well following good work by Jamal Lewis down the left channel.

He now looks fully recovered from the broken arm that kept him out and there is no doubt we miss him when he’s unavailable.

That was in the first half and led to our half-time chats revolving around the need to be clinical and finish the Owls off, preferably with another two goals to kill the game as a contest.

For once this was done – and in some style – starting with the returning Milutin Osmajic smashing the ball into the net around the hour mark.

He had looked a bit rusty in the first half following that nine-game ban, but this was him announcing ‘I’m back, and don’t you forget it!’ as he strutted up to his favourite Town End to celebrate.

For this fan, however, the icing on the cake was seeing Lewis Dobbin returning from injury and coming on as a late substitute.

For me he has become our key player, and is the magic ingredient we need to stay fit and in form for the remainder of the season.

Yet again, it was his creativity, vision and quick thinking that led to the third goal as he picked out Pol Valentín on the right wing with a peach of a cross-field pass.

Even better followed as he got on the end of the cross, passed on neatly by McCann, to score clinically to put the game to bed and ensure the New Year started with a bang.