Two momentary lapses in concentration cost North End dear at Glandford Park as North End were defeated by Scunthorpe.

Andy Crosby was allowed time to rise unchallenged to head home a first half header and though Youl Mawene equalised just before the break the Lincolnshire side extended their fine home record when Patterson backheeled a clever ball into the path of Paul Hayes and the former Barnsley man who had just signed a permanent deal with the club fired home the winner.

There would be plenty more incident in the game but no good news for the Lilywhites. Andy Carroll was given a straight red card for an off the ball incident and 10-man North End stormed forward in search of an equaliser. The chance came when Billy Jones was sent sprawling in the penalty box and how ironic that the club where Graham Alexander began his career would be the venue for North End's first penalty since his departure. Kevin Nicholls was big enough to take the mantle of penalty taker and though his shot was well hit, it was a fantastic save to the right to deny the North End skipper.

Four minutes into the game and North End had their first opportunity after Kevin Nicholls won a free-kick on the edge of the box and took it himself to deliver a ball into the mixer and Liam Chilvers got to the ball first and powered a header, a few yards over the bar.

Scunthorpe's first chance came when Patterson pick pocketed both Kevin Nicholls and Youl Mawene in turn to set off towards goal. The in form striker took one heavy touch though and that allowed Andy Lonergan to come out and block in a brave 50-50 challenge, Lonergan didn't gather the ball cleanly but Youl Mawene was there to clean up the pieces.

Andy Carroll picked up an injury on nine minutes when he bravely jumped to block a cross and was caught in the air. The Geordie youngster spent a good few minutes receiving treatment and his left leg was heavily strapped.

It was almost unlucky 13 minutes for PNE when a ball was played across the face of goal by Matt Sparrow and Kevan Hurst ghosted in at the back post but he side-footed his shot well wide with the goal at his mercy.

Good football from Preston on 15 minutes crafted a nice opportunity for Darren Carter to test Murphy's reflexes from distance. Carter curled a lowish effort from 25-yards out and the Scunthorpe keeper was forced to dive to his left and scramble the ball away.

Scunthorpe took the lead in the 24th minute when the Lincolnshire side took a quick corner on the right and Andy Crosby rose highest in the box to plant a header downwards and past Andy Lonergan.

Chilvers again got a strong header onto a Nicholls free-kick in the 30th minute of the game. The North End skipper the target of a few heavy challenges from the Scunthorpe midfield four.

Chances at both ends of the field in the 34th minute. Clever play from Paul Gallagher down the left, he left his marker for dead and delivered a low cross into the six-yard box. Murphy and Agyemang both challenged for the ball and it squirted out into the middle of the box, but there wasn't a North End man within distance able to capitalise on the chance. Then the Iron went straight down the other end of the field and Patterson chased down a long Murphy punt and after tricking his way into the box he delivered a powerful shot to the near post that Lonergan was forced to punch wide for a corner.

Patrick Agyemang has arguably Preston's best chance of the opening 45 minutes when Chris Sedgwick set him clear down the middle of the pitch. The Ghanaian striker was clean through and his pace took him further clear and he was inside the box when he tried to get a shot away but the ball just got caught under his legs and the keeper was given time to parry the shot, Agyemang was up on his feet for the rebound but that man Crosby was there to block the effort.

North End got their deserved equaliser one minute before the break and it came from a set-piece. Patrick Agyemang was slashed down as he looked to dribble the ball into the box. Kevin Nicholls once again stood over the free-kick and another good delivery was met by the head of Youl Mawene, Murphy had no answer as he powered the ball into the back of the net.

The game entered first half injury time but North End showed no signs of letting up and could have gone in at the break in the lead. Sedgwick danced down the right as North End countered and he cut inside to drift a cross in with his left foot, Nicholls charged into the box and it just needed the slightest of connections to divert the ball into the net.

Scunthorpe retook the lead on 49 minutes. Martin Patterson took down a long ball and backheeled the ball into the path of Paul Hayes who was clear in the box, the former Barnsley man slammed a shot straight at goal and though Lonergan got a hand to the ball it but the ball somehow found its way into the back of the net.

Preston almost hit back immediately. It was Chris Sedgwick who had the chance after Carroll had flung himself at a ball into the box. The ball came out to Gallagher, his shot was blocked from close range but the ball spun out to Sedgwick and he let rip with a shot which whistled just wide of the post.

On 60 minutes Agyemang was set clear once again when Paul Gallagher picked the ball up in the middle of the park and hit the ball into the path of the striker. Agyemang ran at goal and invited a challenge that took the ball into the path of Darren Carter, he hit the shot first time and the ball cleared the crossbar.

Chaos ensued in a crazy five minute spell which saw North End lose a man and miss a penalty.

The man sent off was Andy Carroll. The big striker rose high to meet a clearing header, fairly in many people's eyes but not that of the referee. Carroll and Goodwin went over in a heap and whilst the referee was facing shouts of protest from the PNE players, Carroll was involved in an off the ball incident. The crowd shouted for Carroll to be sent off but it wasn't until the linesman intervened that the referee gave the Newcastle man his marching orders. A clear injustice as it was never a free-kick in the first instance.

Paul Simpson's yellows regrouped into a 4-3-2 formation under orders from manager Paul Simpson and it was a system that saw Billy Jones charging into the box to be taken out by Kelly Youga. It was a penalty and North End players and fans rejoiced as they had a chance to get back into the game.

Kevin Nicholls was the man who decided to take up the mantle of Preston's penalty taker but he might have been ruing that decision. In fairness it was well taken spot kick but Murphy did well to guess right and dive to his right to palm the ball away.

Brett Ormerod was brought on for Patrick Agyemang on 70 minutes and he didn't take too long to get involved, receiving a ball from Sedgwick on the right and spinning on the edge of the area before drilling a shot at goal that rose just over the bar.

As the game entered its final phases Preston threw caution to the wind and left a bit more space. On 80 minutes though it was a problem of North End's own creating that almost made the score 3-1. Davidson's back pass was left by Chilvers and Lonergan was nowhere near it and that allowed Patterson a clear run on goal. Mawene and Jones did well to retreat towards goal and Patterson was forced to cut inside and hit a shot that Mawene blocked, some say by a hand but the Yellows were just happy to clear.

Simon Whaley was brought on in the last ten minutes of the game to try and add something extra to the North End attack and he provided a cross with 85 minutes gone that bamboozled the Scunthorpe defence, Gallagher was lurking but he just could not get anywhere near the ball as it fell in the six yard box.