The last time Preston beat a top flight club in the FA Cup was coincidentally against Derby. The home side proved today why they are rooted at the bottom of the table, unable to defend, making various errors and lacking any sort of confidence.
Old boy Claude Davis came in for some stick from the home fans whilst Eddie Lewis took the brunt of the away fams abuse but the merican went off midway through the first half - probably knowing what lay ahead.
Preston made two changes from the defeat at Stoke with Chaplow out injured being replaced by Carter in the centre and Sedgewick for Neal with Whaley moving out to the left.
Preston passed the ball well and looked threatening. The pressure paid as Todd made a bad back pass which Cris Brown latched onto. He laid the ball across the box to Hawley who slid the ball into an empty net.
Derby may well pick up the lowest point total in the Premiership and today they showed why with some awful defending. Although Preston were playing in all red they had nothing like the talent of recent visitors Liverpool.
Derby looked scared and Preston opened up the defence with Carte misplacing a shot that ended up at Whaley in twenty yards of space in the box. His shot flew past the keeper.
On the stroke of half time Preston put another move together and Hawley free curled a shot past the keeper from the edge of the box. The home crown made their frustrations heard by booing at half time. The performance from the home team with the mistakes made resembled periods of several Preston matches this season!
Hill came on for dvaidson at half time with Derby using up all their replacements as Barnes and Earnshaw came on. Preston pressed and leaving two up at corners Derby broke and earnshaw who looked distinctly offside finished past Lonergan.
Preston still had lots of the ball. Mawene headed over from two yards out from a corner. Two penalty appeals turned down, one after Dvais manhandled Hawley in the box and the other for handball looked clear cut.
Derby had several corners with Lonergan only making one save of any meaning. Preston caused chaos in the Derby defence as they hit their own bar from a cross in with Mckenna then having a shot hitting the bar moments later. Preston then brought on Mellor for Hawely and Nicholls came on for the injured Whaley. Preston had the freedom of Pride Park as Mellor burst through and was pulled down in the box as he was about to shoot. A penalty was given, Derby reduced to ten men and the nightmare of the missed penalties over as Mellor converted.
Preston now enter the draw on Monday for the third time in three seasons in the last sixteen.