Milutin Osmajic scored the two goals for PNE at Vicarage Road

The Lilywhites hit the road for the second time in four days with Watford providing the next test, after Saturday's ugly scrap with their rivals Luton Town. After that drab draw manager Paul Heckingbottom stated his team would need more creativity to take all three points in midweek; from the off there was a different look to his side, under the shiny Vicarage Road lights.

These nights on the road, with a small but spirited away following behind the team, can often be as memorable as any. The signs from North End were good in the opening exchanges; added zip about the visitors as they hunted the ball high and went after Watford. The visit to Kenilworth Road hadn't suited new loan recruit Jayden Meghoma but he was handed his full debut for the Hornets test.

It didn't take the highly rated teenager long to make his first crucial contribution in a white shirt. The Brentford loan man, wearing number three, robbed James Abankwah of possession, drove into the box and delivered a perfect low, drilled cross for Milutin Osmajic to flick home - the sort of opportunity any centre-forward wants to see present itself.

At half time the only disappointment was that PNE only had a one-goal lead, which spoke volumes of their 45 minute display. Kaine Kesler-Hayden had found himself in twice down the right with Mads Frokjaer pulling strings for Preston in the hosts' half. On both of those occasions Watford defenders had to get back to clear the ball off the line.

Maintaining energy and intensity was going to be the big challenge for North End, who had dropped off in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Tom Cleverley's side have been strong at home all campaign and improvement felt a given from Watford. But, North End came out in a similar groove and almost had their second within two minutes.

Jonathan Bond, though, was there to push Osmajic's placed effort behind after the Montenegrin was played through and took a glorious first touch into the Hornets' box. Preston's number 28 often gets two when he gets one though and he was a pest all night for the home team.

The next time Osmajic was played in, on 56 minutes, he wrapped up his second brace of the season against Watford - in utterly devastating fashion. Frokjaer's pass in behind the yellow shirts saw the PNE man drive at goal and blast the ball into the top right corner; simply too much power for Bond to stop.

There was still more than half-an-hour to play but this never looked anything like being the complete away performance from Preston - who limited Watford to precious little in the way of goal scoring chances. However, Rocco Vata's 89th minute cracker from 20 yards set up a grand stand finish out of nowhere.

And with seven additional minutes added on immediately after, the feel inside Vicarage Road suddenly shifted entirely. Crosses came into the Lilywhites’ box and big headers needed to be won. The referee’s full-time whistle eventually sounded and three big, hard earned and thoroughly deserved points headed back up the road.

Starting XI: Woodman; Storey, Gibson, Hughes, Kesler-Hayden, Ledson (Holmes 66'), McCann (c), Meghoma (Brady 72'), Thordarson (Lindsay 90'), Frokjaer (Greenwood 72'), Osmajic (Riis 72') Unused subs: Cornell, Whatmough, Keane, Evans.