Preston North End's Deepdale victory over Bournemouth in the 1999/2000 title-winning season

Goals from Paul McKenna, Jonathan Macken and Graham Alexander delivered a 3-0 victory and knocked the manager of the month curse theory on the head.

Deepdale boss Moyes had won the October award for the Second Division and the usual fears surfaced that it would lead to a downturn in fortunes.

Although North End didn’t quite find top gear, they did enough to comfortably win the game against a Cherries side who had been going quite well themselves.

The Lilywhites went into the Wednesday night clash on the back of a 1-0 win in the FA Cup at Bristol Rovers the previous Sunday.

McKenna had scored the winner in the cup game and it was the young midfielder who set the ball rolling on this victory with the opening goal in the ninth minute.

Before then, PNE goalkeeper Tepi Moilanen had made a couple of early saves from Christer Warren and Mark Stein.

The build-up to the first goal came down the right-wing, with Alexander and Kurt Nogan combining well.

Nogan laid the ball off to Lee Cartwright who lifted a cross into the box. It was perfectly flighted for McKenna to meet and loop a header over Bournemouth keeper Mark Ovendale from 12 yards.

Nogan later forced Ovendale into a good save before North End doubled their lead in stoppage-time at the end of the first half.

McKenna won possession in midfield and fed a pass out to Rob Edwards, the left-back sending over a cross to the far post where Cartwright knocked it back inside.

It came to Nogan who in turn laid the ball off to Macken who finished with a shot from close range.

Further chances came PNE’s way in the opening stages of the second half, with Nogan, Cartwright and Mark Rankine all having sights of the Bournemouth goal.

The visitors began to get more of a foothold in the contest and Steve Robinson – who would join Preston the following summer – forced a good diving save from Moilanen.

Any fears that Bournemouth would find a way back were halted by a third North End goal with 16 minutes left.

Tyrell Forbes and Nogan chased a ball in the Bournemouth half and when Forbes slipped, it gave Nogan a run on the penalty box.

He was forced wide by Ovendale and seemed to have over-run the ball when Ian Cox slid in with a challenge and took Nogan to ground.

The referee awarded a penalty and Alexander hammered home from the spot, sending the keeper the wrong way.

Victory took PNE’s points tally to 21 from the last 27 on offer since suffering a surprise home defeat to Chesterfield early in September.

It lifted them to second place in the table but Moyes wasn’t for allowing his players to rest on their laurels.

Moyes said: “It’s still early days but it is nice to be up there where it matters.

"We are nine games unbeaten but teams who went up last season were going 15 games unbeaten.”