Tim Mercer's PNE Fans' panel verdict: A win to celebrate at last
At last, a good performance and deserved win took North End to above the 50-point mark and most likely another season of Championship football.
Going into the match on 49 points – and having been stuck on that for the last four games – was giving this fan cold sweats with the memory of being on this total at a similar point last season followed by no wins in the remaining fixtures and near-relegation of scraping to 50 points with a draw on the final day!
Yet again after starting on the front foot, the Lilywhites construed to give away a needless goal following a swift counter-attack and cross that left an unmarked Sorba Thomas with the opportunity to volley home an emphatic finish.
Given that we have only won once since January 4, and that an unconvincing one against Portsmouth in early February, we all felt resigned to yet more misery.
However, the difference here was that we continued to play much better than of late and pulled back a deserved equaliser from our own impressive counter-attack at the quarter-hour point.
The lively January signing Andy Moran put a peach of a through pass to Alfie Devine, who kept his nerve to use accuracy rather than power to strike across the keeper and into the net despite a touch from the gloves.
Moran is now starting matches and looks to be a good acquisition in a linking and attack-minded midfield role.
This good play continued after the break to the extent that it came as no surprise to see Lewis Dobbin, out on the right flank, receiving the ball from a Devine free-kick and then crossing it for the advancing Milutin Osmajic to score with a near-post header.
That was just before the hour mark as a now confident PNE took it a step further just three minutes later.
A timely and stretched interception by Liam Lindsay, having a good game against his former club, prevented an otherwise certain pass through on goal for a waiting Potters’ striker.
The hosts picked up the loose ball and a neat series of passes through the centre reached Osmajic, who now turned provider for Devine to execute a delightful chip over the keeper to seal the result and Preston’s third.
Also noticeable for the remainder of the game was the more determined effort to defend and prevent any late drama, as that magic ingredient of confidence finally returned to the team.
I’d almost forgotten what a win felt like as I left the stadium on the day of the Spring Equinox with a spring in my step and looking forward to the weekend ahead.