Milutin Osmajic marked his comeback from a nine-game suspension with a clinical second-half strike as Preston North End eased to a 3-0 victory over bottom club Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale. Ali McCann's first goal of the season and a late finish from substitute Lewis Dobbin completed a comprehensive New Year's Day win that ended Preston's four-game winless run on home soil.
The result lifts Paul Heckingbottom's side back into the Championship play-off places and keeps them just four points behind second-placed Ipswich Town, despite a draw-heavy campaign. For Wednesday, still marooned on minus-seven points and 32 points from safety after an 18-match winless run, this was another sobering afternoon in a season already overshadowed by takeover uncertainty and the prospect of relegation to League One.
McCann's Composed Finish Puts Preston In Charge
On a bitterly cold Lancashire afternoon, the game began in low-key fashion despite thousands of travelling Wednesday supporters making the difficult journey from Sheffield and backing their side from the first whistle, often with a dose of gallows humour. The first clear chance fell to the hosts in the 15th minute when Jordan Storey met Alfie Devine's inswinging corner but could only head over the crossbar from a position where he really should have hit the target.