Last-gasp Ched Evans winner earns Preston victory at Stoke
Ched Evans’ last-gasp header earned Preston a 1-0 victory at Stoke as they ended their three-match losing streak.
A fixture which was delayed by 15 minutes due to nearby traffic was low on quality and looked destined to finish goalless until Evans struck.
Stoke boss Alex Neil, hosting his former employers, fell to a second successive defeat, his side having recorded only one win from their last seven matches on home soil.
The visitors were indebted to their top-scorer Evans, who rose highest and nodded in a late winner deep into added time.
A first sight at goal arrived for Stoke after 10 minutes when Harry Clarke dispossessed Alvaro Fernandez and teed up Jacob Brown in a dangerous position.
However, the Scotland international struggled to find the power and accuracy to trouble goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
Stoke, who had suffered a narrow defeat at home to Burnley less than 72 hours earlier, were on the front foot.
Jordan Thompson blasted an effort over the bar, while a busy Brown failed to convert a Will Smallbone cut-back as the hosts’ momentum grew.
Preston, who had failed to register a clean sheet in six games heading into the fixture, looked fragile defensively and were fortunate not to concede before the interval.
Another quick Stoke counter-attack saw a threatening Josh Tymon cut-back miscued by both Tyrese Campbell and his lively strike partner Brown.
The hosts twice came close to snatching a deserved lead moments before half-time, but both times Woodman rescued Preston.
He first did well to save Campbell’s precise header before stopping a Brown strike from close range that took an awkward deflection.
Both sides returned for the restart desperate for improvement but struggled to create clear goal-scoring opportunities.
The visitors gradually improved, but it was Stoke who again came close, this time through Liam Delap in the six-yard box, but the Manchester City loanee could not add the finishing touch.
That miss was then nearly immediately punished at the opposite end in front of the 1,606 travelling fans.
As Ben Wilmot misjudged a bouncing ball, Ben Woodburn raced through and volleyed a fierce effort goalwards, but Jack Bonham saved.
However, the Potters keeper was beaten in added time as Evans, who turned 34 last week, notched his sixth goal of the season with an accurate flick-on to snatch a scarcely-deserved win for Preston.