The visitors only managed one shot on target and that was comfortably saved by Aiden Critchley, an outfielder who was standing in for Lilywhites keeper, Liam Nugent, who was forced out of the game with an ankle injury, ten minutes into the second half.

Throughout the first half, the Lilywhites were by far the better side but they struggled to find the necessary quality in the attacking third of the pitch. The result was a lot of play going forward but no real chances being created. Tobi Prentice had a good effort from outside the box, saved by the keeper in the 18th minute, but it wasn’t until 12 minutes before half-time that the Lilywhites took the lead.

The goal came from Callum Bennison when he ghosted into the area to volley home a superb cross from the right by Tobi, after he had surged down the right flank.

Once they had scored, the Lilywhites weren’t really threatened but their cause was not helped by the injury to Liam Nugent. It might have proved to be a turning point in the game but such was their control that it made little or no difference to the pattern of the play.

A second goal would have put the result to bed but it didn’t come until the second minute of added time when Bailey Eden slotted a through ball into the path of the forward-running Bennison who got to it just ahead of the advancing keeper and poked it past him into the empty net.

There was still time remaining for Callum to claim his hat-trick but his close-range header from a Conor Casey cross was scrambled away by the keeper.

This victory took the Lilywhites into the top-half of the table with four games remaining, all against teams below them in the league.

Men-of-the Match: George Rankin & Callum Bennison

Team: Liam Nugent (Aiden Critchley 56’), George Rankin, Jimmy Agnew, Jack Riddle, Jack Gibbs, Bailey Eden, Tobi Prentice (Billy Skinner 80’), Blue Gallagher, Callum Bennison, Connor Bolton (Hadley Richards 80’) & Arnis Lala (Conor Casey 62’).

Unused sub: Syd Barker