Preston North End vs Hull City. Sky Bet Championship.
DeepdaleAttendance11,311.
Wednesday 5 December 2007 09:46, UK
Preston boss Alan Irvine expressed his relief after claiming the first win of his fledgling managerial career.
Preston boss Alan Irvine expressed his relief after claiming the first win of his fledgling managerial career. Irvine, who succeeded Paul Simpson last month, looked set to endure another fruitless evening after overseeing successive defeats in his first three games in charge. However, second-half goals from Patrick Agyemang, Simon Whaley and Lewis Neal sunk Hull 3-0 to partially lift the gloom at Deepdale and end a six-game winless slump. North End remain in the bottom three but Irvine is adamant this result can revive the club's flagging fortunes. "I'm delighted obviously with the win," enthused the former Everton assistant manager. "It's been tough for the players, fans and staff and the board of course and I'm delighted for all of them. "The feeling from the players is that this is the start rather than anything else. That's good because we can't rest on that and we still have a lot to do." Agyemang broke the deadlock on the hour after latching on to Paul Gallagher's threaded pass and firing past goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.