BOURNEMOUTH 0 PNE 2 NO, your eyes are not playing tricks, that was the scoreline and it was a victory that was richly deserved for a battling performance, in particular, from the flying Finn, Tepi Moilanen.

On the back of the Carlisle disaster in midweek, no-one gave Preston a chance against a side who had conceded only two league goals at home all season. Preston, however, threw the script out of the window.

First David Eyres showed classy play on the left before delivering a cross that Simon Davey gleefully cracked in to put North End in front.

While Preston fans were celebrating, play swung to the other end, Michael Jackson handled in the box and up stepped Steve Robinson for the spot kick.

He hit his shot with power, Moilanen took off to his right to stop the shot and then kept out the rebound before being engulfed by his team-mates.

It got better eight minutes later as Michael Appleton came forward and from 25 yards hit a low shot that went in the bottom corner putting North End, unbelievably, 2-0 up.

In the second half Bournemouth threw everything at Preston in a bid to get back into the match.

Preston got ten, sometimes eleven, men behind the ball, battling like never before this season.

Yet North End survived. John Bailey looked to have beaten the Preston keeper with a powerful header into the top corner but Moilanen got a glove to the ball to claw it round the post.

Bournemouth mounted a late challenge, Ian Cox arrived in the box with a scorching header, a goal looked certain but again Moilanen made a remarkable save.

Preston had a chance to wrap it all up with a miss Habib Sissoko will never forget.

Sent clear on his own from the half-way line, he took the ball forward and could have played the ball to the right or left of the keeper, or even over him.

He seemed to change his mind in his approach three times and in the end shot tamely at the goalkeeper.

It didn't matter in the end, Preston had hung on with a mixture of good defending, excellent goalkeeping and a little good fortune.

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