Preston continued their push towards the play-offs with a comfortable 4-0 win
over promotion rivals Coventry and moved above them in the table.
The Lilywhites went into the break two goals up, thanks to strikes from Clyde
Wijnhard and Dickson Etuhu but the game was killed off with goals four three
minutes from time from Gareth Ainsworth and Richard Cresswell.
Coventry boss Roland Nilsson named himself in the starting line-up for the
first time since September in a bid to bring some experience and stability to
the Sky Blues defence.
The home side took the game by the scruff of the neck and it took four minutes
for them to take the lead when a corner from Rob Edwards fell to Wijnhard who
headed home.
The game settled down but it was another five minutes before Coventry
registered their first shot on target but Youssef Chippo's shot was cleared by
Michael Jackson.
The visitors started to come back into the game and were pushing forward.
Nilsson had a cross cleared by Sean Gregan while Colin Healy's 18 yard shot
went over the crossbar and Jay Bothroyd's effort was easily caught by Teuvo
Moilanen.
The game turned scrappy with both sides creating weak efforts - Etuhu and
Ainsworth for Preston and Youssef Safri and Chippo for Coventry.
The Sky Blues, hoping for an immediate return to the Premiership, were forced
on the defensive when Preston were awarded three corners.
They successfully defended two but the third time they were not so lucky as
Edwards' corner cross found the head of Etuhu who made it 2-0 after 27 minutes.
With 10 minutes of the half left, Safri saw his effort blocked by Paul McKenna
while John Eustace's 25-yard shot was caught by Moilanen.
Cresswell almost made it 3-0 deep in injury-time but his effort was caught by
Hedman.
Preston continued in the same vein in the second half and they should have
increased their lead through Etuhu shortly after the restart.
Coventry responded with a weak shot from Nilsson while Bothroyd's left-footed
effort went wide.
But Preston were up to the Sky Blues attack and mounted a challenges of their
own through Ainsworth, Alexander and Cresswell.
Preston continued to push and Coventry found it hard to put together anything
dangerous.
The points were already going to Preston but the Lilywhites were not about to
sit back and four minutes from time Ainsworth killed off the game when he added
the third following a cross from Michael Keane and a minute later Cresswell
latched onto a pass from Wijnhard to make it 4-0.
Teams
Preston: Moilanen, Alexander, Jackson, Gregan, Edwards, Ainsworth (Anderson 90), McKenna, Etuhu, Keane, Wijnhard, Cresswell.
Subs Not Used: Lucas, Eaton, Healy, Rankine.
Goals: Wijnhard 5, Etuhu 27, Ainsworth 87, Cresswell 89.
Coventry: Hedman, Nilsson, Konjic, Carbonari (Thompson 45), Hall, Chippo (Hughes 64), Healy, Eustace, Safri, Trollope, Bothroyd.
Subs Not Used: Montgomerey, Betts, Quinn.
Booked: Thompson, Safri.
Att: 15,665
Ref: R Pearson (Peterlee).
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