Lambert thrilled with start as Blackburn beat Preston

Paul Lambert admitted it was strange being back in the dugout after watching Blackburn beat local rivals Preston North End 2-1 in his first game in charge.

An own goal from Jordan Pickford and a Jordan Rhodes penalty had Rovers 2-0 up and although Preston pulled one back through Joe Garner, they lost their first game in seven and finished with 10 men after Bailey Wright received a second yellow card.

Lambert said: "It was strange being back. After nine months out, for the first time in 40 years I was enjoying my life.

"Then you are back in the hot seat - the highs and lows - but it's great to be back.

"We played a terrific game of football. The atmosphere was great in the stadium and we scored two goals against a team that hadn't conceded in six games.

"The team deserves so much credit for that and I think we looked a threat every time we went forward.

"I've asked the players to do a lot for me. We've trained a bit differently, which is no slight on Gary [Bowyer] at all, but I have my own way of training, everyone does, and the players have worked ever so hard to master that and it will take time.

"Today is a marker that we can win games. The back four were colossal for us. They were proper men, proper defenders."

Preston boss Simon Grayson added: "I think we deserved something. When you look back over the course of the game probably the least we deserved was a point.

"It was a typical derby match, a lot of tackles and things bobbling around. We felt we had to up the tempo in the second half and we responded really well.

"I think we had Blackburn camped in their own half for much of the game and we just needed a little bit of extra quality that we just didn't have.

"We were sloppy for the goal giving away the penalty. Garner's goal lifted us, the place got rocking, we were on the front foot but ultimately we couldn't find that equaliser which we deserved.

"Overall I thought we defended quite well again but we conceded a freak goal and a penalty so we didn't really look like we were going to concede in open play."