North End were again down to the last man standing as injuries hindered team selection. Ben Pearson did start and his presence in midfield is always felt by the rest of the team.
The first half an hour reflected the gloomy weather. Millwall are struggling a little this season and formed a brick wall at times as they got into shape which Preston were simply unable to breakdown.
It was almost a surprise when Preston did take the lead when Browne was given half an opportunity in the box. He neatly slotted home and this meant the visitors had to come out more.
Within a matter of minutes the lead was doubled thanks to Barkhuizen who has now found a decent run of form over the past couple of months after a poor start. Again, he finished well to give Preston a comfortable lead.
Millwall halved the deficit in the second half thanks to a header from Cooper. North End still have the propensity to concede easy goals to put themselves under pressure.
North End managed to hold their own and stretched their lead when Hughes scored from a free kick. He had scored from a similar angle earlier int he season but this effort took a deflection.
Preston then tried to finish off the visitors but could not add another even though Ben Pearson ratled the bar with a long range shot. Gregory scored a consolation in injury time but it wass too little too late.
Preston now go into a busy festive period where many points are to play for. North End have moved comfortably away from the relegation zone and if they can haul in some points over the next couple of weeks they could see themselves close in on the top half teams.