Alfie Devine's first-half header gave Preston North End a narrow 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at Deepdale, securing Preston's first win in five Championship matches and nudging Paul Heckingbottom's side back on track for a play-off push.
The 21-year-old steered in his sixth goal of the season from Andrija Vukcevic's cross five minutes before the interval, but Preston were made to work hard for the points by John Mousinho's visitors, who started on the front foot, finished strongly and could reasonably feel unfortunate to leave Lancashire empty-handed after a determined display on a battered pitch.
Portsmouth Seize the Initiative on a Heavy Deepdale Surface
Portsmouth signalled their intent immediately, carving out a flurry of chances in just the third minute. Adrian Segecic, Jacob Brown and Zak Swanson all found themselves with sights of goal inside the Preston box, but each effort was repelled by a steely home rearguard that threw bodies in the way to prevent an early breakthrough.