Such honours may be beyond them now, but Billy Davies’s unstoppable side await Middlesbrough in the FA Cup next weekend and also remain on course for arguably the greater prize of a place in the Premiership. Preston recorded their 21st league game without defeat by gaining revenge against the last team to beat them with their biggest victory of the season. Their run, decorated yesterday by a flurry of late goals, has propelled them into the top six with the prospect of avenging last season’s defeat in the playoff final.
Luton manager Mike Newell, who, like Davies, had been a target for managerless Leicester, had described this as a match his team could ill-afford to lose. He had to watch them do it from a seat in the stand after being sent from the dug-out by referee Darren Drysdale before the break.
Preston had just restored their two-goal advantage when Luton goalkeeper Marlon Beresford was sent off in the last minute of normal time for colliding with Tyrone Mears. The punishment was two-fold as Chris Sedgwick drove home the penalty and then, in stoppage-time Beresford’s replacement, midfielder Kevin Nicholls, was unable to hold a Mears shot and substitute Claude Davis drilled in the rebound.
What Newell did not quibble with was the quality of Preston’s football, which should have seen them out of sight by half-time. Lewis Neal put Preston in front after 20 minutes when he calmly side-footed home his first goal for the club after getting the better of Kevin Foley and for the remainder of the half Luton’s penalty area was besieged.
Reflecting their manager’s stomach for a fight, Luton responded positively early in the second half and Carlo Nash had to save well from Rowan Vine.
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But Preston immediately doubled their lead, courtesy of a fluent move that epitomises their approach as Paul McKenna released Sedgwick to cross perfectly for David Nugent to head home his eighth of the season.
And where an own goal from Mears, deflected in after Ahmet Brkovic had shot against the bar, might have caused late uncertainty in a less confident side, Preston responded with three more of their own in the last few minutes once Mears had made amends by sweeping in a cross from substitute Patrick Agyemang.
STAR MAN: Brian O’Neil (Preston)
Player ratings. Preston: Nash 8, Mears 8, Mawene 7, Lucketti 7, Hill 7, Sedgwick 7, McKenna 8 (C Davis 66min, 6), O’Neil 8, Neal 7 (Whaley 72min, 6), Ormerod 7, Nugent 7 (Agyemang 81min, 6)
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Luton: Beresford 6, Foley 6, Coyne 6 (Barnett 41min, 7), Heikkinen 6, Keane 6 (S Davis 71min, 6), Edwards 7, Nicholls 7, Bell 6 (Morgan 59min, 6), Brkovic 7, Howard 6, Vine 7
Scorers: Preston: Neal 20, Nugent 53, Mears 84, Sedgwick 89 pen, Davis 90
Luton: Mears og 82
Referee: D Drysdale
Attendance: 15,237
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