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Mikey Johnston (R) found the net with one of 13 attempts on goal by the Baggies in an entertaining first half Mikey Johnston's sumptuous strike set West Bromwich Albion on their way to a much-needed home victory as they moved up to fourth in the Championship with an impressive win over Preston North End. Johnston smashed home a fabulous 25-yard strike in a chance-laden first half as the hosts looked to secure just a second league success in five games at The Hawthorns. Isaac Price curled home a delightful second after the break to seemingly settle nerves after a poor run of three defeats in five had seen the Baggies drop out of the play-off places. But in-form Preston, who had climbed to fourth in the table before kick-off following a five-match unbeaten run, hit back when Daniel Jebbison found fellow substitute Michael Smith for a simple tap-in with 12 minutes remaining. But a breathless game, that ended with a total of 33 attempts on goal, produced no further change to the scoreline to ensure Ryan Mason's Baggies moved above North End by a point in the table - despite some intense pressure during 11 minutes of added time. The home win did not look in doubt when Price found the top corner to double the lead earned by Johnston's powerful opener, but a bold quadruple substitution with just over 20 minutes to go breathed new life into North End who could easily have ended the game with a draw. Both sides created chances aplenty throughout an open first half and both keepers were busy. Preston's Daniel Iversen made a fine double save to deny Price, while Johnston went close on a couple of occasions. Baggies number one Josh Griffiths also had to be at his best to push away a Milutin Osmajic attempt and field a stinging strike from Ben Whiteman, while boss Paul Heckingbottom was furious that claims for a penalty were waived away when Harrison Armstrong challenged Toby Collyer. Lewis Dobbin shot narrowly over the bar soon after the resumption as the visitors pressed to cancel out Johnston's strike, and although Price struck to make it 2-0, Smith's simple 78th-minute effort brought hope and late drama. North End so nearly snatched a draw with Jebbison forcing a great save from Griffiths deep into stoppage time, but Preston could not avoid succumbing to a 16th away league defeat in 18 games against the Baggies. West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason told BBC Radio WM: "We played a good game against really good opposition. They put a lot of energy into the game, are physical and are good with the ball as well. They caused us problems. "It's really important to win games of football at home. We have not made our performances count at home so far this season. "The fans were amazing. They were really with the players and certainly helped us get over the line. "Sometimes in tight games you need moments of brilliance and we had two moments today. " This video can not be played Mason: 'We were pleased to get over the line' Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It was a tight one. I'm pleased with how we approached the game. We know how fine the margins are in this league. "But we didn't take our moments and one big decision, which the ref got wrong [a Preston claim for a first-half penalty], went against us "They scored two really good goals in terms of the finishing. But we could have defended better. "We went toe-to-toe with a good team and I was pleased with the mentality. We looked like a good team. We gave Mikey Johnston too much space in the first half but we corrected that and the subs had an impact. " This video can not be played 'I'm pleased with how we approached the game' - Paul Heckingbottom After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 18th October 2025 at 19: 49 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Ryan Mason Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Paul Heckingbottom Formation: 5 - 3 - 2 Manager: Ryan Mason Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Paul Heckingbottom Formation: 5 - 3 - 2 Championship All competitions All competitions All competitions West Bromwich Albion are unbeaten in each of their last five league matches against Preston North End (W4 D1), netting 3+ goals in three of the previous four meetings. Preston North End have lost 15 of their last 17 away league games against West Bromwich Albion, with their only victories coming in September 1973 (2-0) and January 2022 (2-0). Since the start of September, only Sheffield United (3) and Norwich (2) have won fewer Championship points than West Bromwich Albion (4), while in that time Preston have won the fourth-most points in the division (9). Only Coventry (5) have more Championship clean sheets this season than Preston (4) – the Lilywhites have four clean sheets in their last seven games, having gone 13 without one beforehand. Thierry Small has netted in each of Preston’s last two Championship matches. He could be the first player aged 21 or younger to score in three Championship appearances in a row for the Lilywhites since Tom Cannon in April 2023. Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Preston North End 1. Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Preston North End 1. Attempt missed. Lewis Dobbin (Preston North End) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Benjamin Whiteman with a cross following a corner. Corner, Preston North End. Conceded by Josh Griffiths. Attempt saved. Daniel Jebbison (Preston North End) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner by Josh Griffiths (West Bromwich Albion). Assisted by Mads Frökjaer-Jensen. Offside, West Bromwich Albion. Aune Heggebø is caught offside. Lewis Gibson (Preston North End) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion). Attempt missed. Jordan Storey (Preston North End) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Lewis Dobbin with a cross. Attempt blocked. Odeluga Offiah (Preston North End) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Foul by Ousmane Diakité (West Bromwich Albion). Ali Mc Cann (Preston North End) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Offside, Preston North End. Michael Smith is caught offside. Foul by Mads Frökjaer-Jensen (Preston North End). Alex Mowatt (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Fourth official has announced 9 minutes of added time. Foul by Daniel Jebbison (Preston North End). Ousmane Diakité (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick on the right wing. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Ousmane Diakité replaces Isaac Price because of an injury. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.