Sheffield Wednesday suffered their second home defeat of the season as they went down to Preston North End by the odd goal in three on Tuesday.

The win might be described as a smash and grab affair for the Lilywhites, who survived a first half onslaught to ultimately emerge with all three points.

Neil Mellor gave PNE a surprise lead on 20 minutes before Michael Gray levelled matters for the Owls eight minutes before half time. But Jon Parkin struck on 54 to settle a game that in its early throes seemed Wednesday's for the taking.

Brian Laws' side were out of the traps apace, with Lewis Buxton darting into the penalty area inside a minute and drilling a low shot that forced Andy Lonergan into evasive action.

Jermaine Johnson then saw a clear header bounce over the bar on the three-minute mark and Leon Clarke was next up moments later, his close range effort bringing the best out of Lonergan after a teasing Tommy Spurr cross.

Preston's first threat came on eight minutes and, inadvertently, from a Wednesday player when Mark Beevers diverted Ross Wallace's feed narrowly over his own crossbar.



But the Owls continued to take the game to Preston, playing neat, probing football until they suddenly fell behind against the run of play in controversial fashion.

Eddie Nolan appeared to run the ball out of play down the left channel but the referee waved Owls appeals away and the midfielder crossed for Mellor to glance home with the aid of a deflection from Darren Purse.

But Wednesday were undaunted and the game swiftly reverted to type with the hosts in the driving seat. And they came within a whisker of equalising not once but twice in a remarkable 29^th minute.

Johnson cut inside from the left and unleashed a thunderous effort from distance that rattled Lonergan's left post with the keeper beaten. The ball rebounded straight into the path of the Jamaican international, who advanced before crashing a similar shot that incredibly hit the same post and bounced to safety as Preston continued to lead a charmed life.

But the Lilywhites' luck duly ran out and in spectacular style too. Clarke won a free kick for Wednesday 25 yards from goal and Gray stepped up to curl an unstoppable shot over the wall and into the top corner to restore parity.



The Owls forced a string of corners as a frantic first half neared its conclusion and almost profited when a hooked effort from Purse struck the woodwork.

It was a fair bet that Preston welcomed the whistle as they went down the tunnel level but well behind in terms of possession and chances created.

But that mattered little to the visitors as they emerged for the second period with more zest and promptly took the lead. Mellor found space down the left and squared for Parkin, who had the simple task of side-footing past Grant.

The Owls replied with Johnson rolling a dangerous ball into the heart of the danger zone that just evaded the onrushing James O'Connor and Luke Varney had a low drive deflected wide.

Mellor then went close for Preston and O'Connor for Wednesday as the game developed into an equal affair. The second half certainly lacked the spark and incident of the first but as the clock ticked down, the Lancashire outfit understandably had one eye on the scoreboard.

As a result, Wednesday grew more and more frustrated. The hosts were asking most of the questions but Preston's resolute backline provided the answers, save a late effort from Johnson that was diverted from the line by Liam Chilvers.

Owls: Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr, Gray (Jeffers 82), Potter, O'Connor (Miller 74), Johnson, Clarke (Sodje 65), Varney

Unused substitutes: O'Donnell, Hinds, Simek, McAllister

Preston: Lonergan, Chaplow, Collins, Sedgwick, Carter, Chilvers, Jones, Wallace, Parkin, Nolan, Mellor (Brown 85)

Unused substitutes: Henderson, Hart, Mawene, Shumulikoski, Parry, Elliott

Referee: Rob Shoebridge

Attendance: 20,882