Preston secured their first win of 2008 - and with it progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup - in a much-needed victory over fellow Championship side Scunthorpe.

The Lilywhites made amends for the disappointment of The Iron's Boxing Day win at Deepdale by triumphing in a scrappy game courtesy of Simon Whaley's angled strike in the early stages of the second half.

North End made the two changes forced upon them by recent circumstances - Youl Mawene making a welcome return after his son Theo's recovery from illness in place of the suspended Sean St Ledger, with Neil Mellor coming in up front after Paul Gallagher's loan spell came to an end.

Both sides started with a great degree of intent but couldn't find a killer ball or a finisher when the openings came into view. The best opening fell to dangerman Martin Paterson who saw a hard, low shot blocked by the feet of Andy Lonergan after the defence appeared to forget the danger he posed on Boxing Day when allowed to run beyond the back-line.

PNE's best chance came after great work from Karl Hawley and Simon Whaley who carved the defence open, but despite an inviting square ball from the latter into the path of the unmarked Mellor, the chance went begging as the striker scuffed the ball wide of target.

Good goalkeeping twice prevented Preston from going behind as the half-hour approached. Matt Sparrow dispossed Darren Carter on the edge of the box and unleashed his shot, but Lonergan was once again equal to the challenge and Ian Morris' subsequent follow-up was woefully inaccurate.

Lonergan proved his worth again when he dived quickly to grasp a long-range shot from Kevan Hurst, allowing North End to break and come close themselves. A crude hack from debutant Shelton Martis brought down Carter as he approached the box, and McKenna's free kick looked destined to curl into the top corner until it was blocked by the wall.

North End kept breaking with promise but couldn't find a way through, with either last-ditch defending or fortunate ricochets aiding the visiting defensive cause.

It meant that the stage was still set for The Iron to try and break Deepdale hearts, and had it not been for Morris and Paul Hayes mis-kicking inside the area after a lovely square ball from Paterson, they surely would have replicated their smash and grab pre-half-time goal a la Boxing Day.

Instead, a dead ball situation at the other end gave Preston a chance to net for themselves after a late challenge on Whaley. Carter got the elevation and bend required to lift it over the wall, but there wasn't enough speed in the shot to beat Joe Murphy from 25 yards.

The half-time whistle came as something of a relief to many inside Deepdale as it provided a good chance for the two sides to re-group and hopefully re-emerge with a greater level of drive. Straight away, Preston delivered.

With less than two minutes played in the second period, Hawley found McKenna with a square ball inside the box, and he picked out Whaley to run onto the angled pass to shoot hard and low under Murphy from a tight angle.

Karl Hawley could have made it two when Carter's Arsenal-esque floated ball from the deep sent Hawley away, but he couldn't keep his shot down as he looked to net from the edge of the box.

More good work involving Hawley and Mellor created a shooting chance for McKenna, and he left Murphy flat-footed with a shot that deflected off Andy Crosby but snuck tantalisingly wide of the post for a corner kick.

Morris came close to an equaliser when his deflected left-footed shot looped onto the roof of the net, but Sparrow went even closer after great work from that man Paterson to out-run the defence and pick out the midfield runner. Sparrow's shot was only inches higher than the crossbar and would have demanded another top stop from Lonergan had it been any lower in trajectory.

Youl Mawene could have been an unlikely provider with a great right-footed cross after he dispossessed Cork in the aftermath of a corner, but his perfectly weighted delivery was turned wide of the target by Mellor on the half-volley.

Scunthorpe lost Marcus Williams to an ankle injury at the mid point of the half, and a break from his vacated left flank could have led to another PNE strike. Davidson's throw-in picked out Hawley, who turned the ball further infield for Whaley, but there was no repeat of his earlier goal as Murphy held firm. Hawley again teed up Whaley moments later on the edge of the box, and this time a hard, low shot deflected wide for a corner off Cork's shins.

Watching the shot flash wide was keeper Joe Murphy's last contribution to the game, with injury forcing him from the field. His replacement, Josh Lillis, was brought into the action with no chance to warm up, but he was fortunate in that his defence protected him well in the early stages of his performance.

Whaley fired over the top as PNE chased the second goal that would surely have clinched it, and the knife-edge scoreline meant that Lonergan's low save from Hayes proved to be another vital stop.

Another chance went begging when Ormerod led a mass break with very few defenders back but he delayed making the pass to obvious target Whaley, and the eventual chance that fell to McKenna was snatched and off target.

As the board went up to signal three minutes of added time, Morris flashed a shot narrowly wide of target from distance, and Whaley did likewise in an immediate counter.

PNE: Lonergan, Davidson, Mawene, Chilvers, Hill, Whaley, McKenna, Carter, Lewis Neal, Mellor (sub Ormerod 87), Hawley. Subs not used: Chris Neal, Sedgwick, Nicholls, Anyinsah.

Scunthorpe: Murphy (sub Lillis 70), Byrne, Crosby, Martis, Williams (sub Forte 67), Cork, Sparrow, Hurst, Morris, Hayes (sub Ameobi 87), Paterson. Subs not used: Seck, Taylor.

Referee: Mr C H Webster