Brown brace beats Blackpool

Brown and Mellor: On target

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Chris Brown netted a brace as a rousing second-half fightback handed Preston North End their first Championship victory at Lancashire rivals Blackpool since 1992.

North End found themselves trailing at the interval after on-loan Liverpool winger Adam Hamill struck a fine goal to put Blackpool ahead in the 10th minute.

But Preston improved markedly after the break and Brown - a sciatica sufferer who has found a way of coping with the ailment - headed home a cross from Ross Wallace to equalise in the 55th minute.

Neil Mellor then also used his head to good effect by nodding home Callum Davidson's left-wing delivery and Brown had the final say when he shot home from 10 yards in the 77th minute.

Delight

The result lifted Preston three points above their bitter rivals and had their 1,714 supporters in raptures in Bloomfield Road's temporary stand.

Blackpool were largely dominant in the opening period and, after visiting goalkeeper Andy Lonergan denied Hammill and Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Hammill fired them ahead in the 10th minute.

The 20-year-old winger, on a six-month loan from Anfield, collected a pass from Alan Gow just inside Preston's 18-yard box and a deft piece of skill saw him control the ball expertly and advance past Davidson.

That gave Hammill the space to unleash a venomous right-footed half-volley from 14 yards which flew into the top corner past a stunned Lonergan.

Hammill, part of the Liverpool team that defeated Manchester City in the 2006 FA Youth Cup final, then twice went close to doubling Blackpool's advantage with ambitious long-range strikes.

Preston defender Sean St Ledger had a header from a corner saved by Paul Rachubka in the 23rd minute but Preston had shown little in the first half in terms of goal threat.

That changed after the break as Brown rose highest at the near post to greet Wallace's fine left-wing cross and plant a firm header past Rachubka.

In the 68th minute, Preston's second goal arrived and was almost a carbon copy of their first as Davidson flighted in a teasing cross from the left and Mellor nodded home with another fine header.

No surprise

With the pendulum now clearly in Preston's favour, it came as no surprise when Paul McKenna and Wallace again found the space to engineer another opening which delivered a third goal.

Brown was again the beneficiary, collecting Wallace's neat low pass and driving a low right-foot shot into the net from around 10 yards out.

Blackpool refused to give up and mounted a spirited rally but they had long since surrendered the points and their bitter rivals held on for a comfortable and memorable victory.