Preston North End secured a 1-0 win over Portsmouth at Deepdale, courtesy of Alfie Devine’s header in the first half.

Devine was assisted by Andrija Vukcevic, who made his first start since returning from his recurring hamstring injury.

The Lilywhites endured a run of four winless games, with three back-to-back defeats in that run, but their 1-1 draw at Ipswich gave them a form of confidence that they carried into Saturday.

On a Deepdale pitch that has seen better days, Paul Heckingbottom’s side managed to get over the adversity of the grass, the form, and the pressure on the club at the moment to deliver a hard-fought win.

Much like the pitch, the manner in which the win came in did not come in a pretty one, with Pompey really being the side on the front foot with more chances created and even had a penalty appeal waved away.

The win takes PNE back towards the play-off spots, sitting seventh and only outside of the top-six by goal difference, with Wrexham having the advantage by one with +5.

Portsmouth suffered their first defeat in four league games, after putting together a good...