After a half time goalless score Preston came out guns blazing in the second half scoring two quick goals and completing a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace watched by 12,836.
It was a quiet first half with Danny Butterfield having a shot off target after 16 minutes.
The first on target effort came when Brian O'Neil found Eddie Lewis and he found Dickson Etuhu and his 10-yard left-foot shot was saved by the Palace goalkeeper low at his right hand near post.
Four minutes later Ricardo Fuller on the left crossed to David Healy and he hit a 18-yard right-foot shot which Thomas Myhre saved.
After half an hour, Healy had a 10-yard header from a Graham Alexander right-foot right-wing cross which the Palace keeper saved.
Healy passed to Paul McKenna and from the left penalty box he hit a 17-yard right-foot shot which was also saved. Two minutes later Neil Shipperley shot off target.
Lewis crossed from the left and an eight-yard header by O'Neil hit the right hand post and Danny Butterfield hit a 25-yard shot which Jonathan Gould saved right on half time.
Lewis had a shot caught at the start of the second half and then McKenna found Healy and his right foot shot was saved but the rebound fell to Etuhu who scored to make it 1-0 in the 47th minute. He took his shirt off and was booked by the referee.
Kit Symons was adjudged to have brought down Fuller in the penalty box and the referee awarded a penalty to Preston and sent Symons off.
Alexander scored right-footed into the top left, his fourth penalty of the season, in the 50th minute.
Shaun Derry pulled one back for Palace in the 71st minute when from the left of the penalty box he hit a 15-yard left-foot shot after a Hughes pass from the right channel.
Lewis made it 3-1 in the 79th minute when an Alexander right-foot right-wing corner wasn't cleared and Lewis hit a 10-yard right-foot shot into the bottom of the net.
Richard Cresswell came on as a substitute and set up a goal for Healy on a plate with a cross from the left which Healy tapped in from one yard at the end to make it 4-1 to Preston.