Nowland, Alexander and Sedgwick scored the goals as Preston North End put Coventry City to the sword with a fantastic display of attacking football.

Billy Davies made two changes from the side that drew with Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day with Adam Nowland and Patrick Agyemang replacing Brian O'Neil and Danny Dichio.

O'Neil was a surprising absence from the 16 while the other surprise is the return of Callum Davidson who is named amongst the subs, after returning to full training on Thursday.

A bright start from the Lilywhites with David Nugent breaking down the left almost straight from the kick-off and drilling a shot with his right boot across goal.

Then only a couple of minutes later Nugent was a danger on the right when he found space and delivered a cross that was clearly handled by Coventry's Isaac Osbourne. The referee initially pointed to the spot but then after consultation decided that the offence was outside the area. From the free-kick David Jones hit a brilliant free-kick which Fulop was forced to fist over the bar for a corner.

Nugent was a danger once again down the right and was unfairly judged to have fould his marker just as he was clean through on goal, much to the annoyance of the Deepdale crowd.

North End were causing all sorts of problems down the right and Lewis Neal popped up on eight minutes to force a save from Fulop, the keeper sat on the ball as it went under his body to deny the Lilywhites a goal.

Preston were rampant and looking positive with every move, they could have been 1-0 up in the 11th minute when Nugent hit a rasping low drive that had Fulop beaten but that then smashed against the inside of the post before rebounding back into play.

Gary McSheffrey produced Coventry's real moment of the game when he broke down the left and drilled a low shot across goal that beat Nash but that trickled just wide.

But Preston were back up the other end in the 18th minute, firstly Sedgwick whipped in a cross from the right that caused all sorts of problems with Claude Davis lurking to head home and then from the resultant corner the ball fell to David Jones on the edge of the box and his first time volley was well saved by Fulop.

In the 23rd minute it was Lewis Neal's turn to try his luck from distance, he danced around a couple of Coventry defenders before hitting a right-footed shot that beat the keeper on his left but was just inches wide.

North End were in front on 26 minutes after brilliant work from Lewis Neal, the former Stoke man did brilliantly on the left and hit the perfect cross across the six-yard box where Adam Nowland's outstretched leg connected with the ball and sent it into the back of the net via the crossbar.

Youl Mawene was booked in the 27th minute when he clipped Gary McSheffrey just as the Scottish striker was about to go clean through. More worryingly the sight of Adam Nowland clutching his right ankle on the floor, but the physic patched him up and sent him back onto the field of play.

It could have been 2-0 when Chris Sedgwick's cross took a deflection and had Fulop sprawling across goal to tip it wide for a corner.

It's 2-0 in the 41st minute. And it's Graham Alexander from the spot against his hometown club. It came after brilliant work from Patrick Agyemang on the left, bursting into the box and ready to either shoot or cross from the angle before Whing took Agyemang's legs away from behind him. The keeper Fulop tried a bit of kidology by talking to Grezza before he took the spot-kick, but it was to no avail as the skipper slammed the ball home for his first league goal of the season.

North End were 3-0 up in first half stoppage time. Once again Lewis Neal was creator supreme he teased and taunted on the left and delivered a great cross to the far post where Nugent mishit his volley but Sedgwick was backing up to fire home wonderful volley.

North End made a change for the second half with Youl Mawene being replaced by Chris Lucketti who finally makes his 200th appearance for the club. Coventry also made changes with Stern John coming on for Don Hutchison and Marcus Hall coming on for Richard Shaw.

And Lucketti was almost on the score sheet in the 47th minute when he got on the end of a Lewis Neal corner from the right, Lucketti headed the ball down and the keeper grabbed the ball, at the second attempt.

At the other end McSheffrey's pace took him past Claude Davis and into a great shooting position, but Davis just got a touch on the ball and put McSheffrey off his shot, Carlo Nash saved well and Davis cleared easily.

North End had two great chances in the space of a minute on 54 minutes, the first came to Nugent who danced his way past all the challenges in the box before hitting a left-footed effort that Fulop diverted away. Then seconds later Patrick Agyemang stormed into the box and his pace took him into an excellent position from where his shot beat the keeper but smashed against the cross-bar.

Coventry made a substitution when Andy Morrell came on for Kevin Thornton in the 58th minute.

In the 59th minute it was 3-1 to North End after a sublime piece of skill from Stern John, he lifted the ball over the head of his marker before tapping it past Carlo Nash.

Isaac Osbourne went into the referee's book in the 64th minute when he went in rather late on Graham Alexander. During that stoppage North End made their second change of the afternoon when Callum Davidson returned to action in place of Adam Nowland.

Coventry were a better side in the second period and were unfortunate not to have scored a second when Matt Heath had a clear header right in front of goal, but it went wide much to the dismay of the centre-half.

With nine minutes left to play Billy Davies made his final change of the day when David Hibbert got onto the field in place of David Nugent.

Carlo Nash picked up a yellow card in 83rd minute when he got involved in a bit of unnecessary handbags with Gary McSheffrey after the Coventry striker tried ripping the ball out of his hands to take a quick corner.