Gary Brazil came to back to haunt Preston North End as he scored one and set up the winner for Fulham at Deepdale this afternoon.
Former Blackburn Rovers boss Don Mackay was not a popular man as he returned to Lancashire and masterminded only North End’s third home league defeat of the season. Brazil, who scored 72 goals in 202 games in four seasons with Preston, fired Fulham in front after a quarter an hour after Adrian Hughes had miskicked when he attempted to clear David Bryne’s cross.
Farrell doubled Fulham’s lead fourteen minutes later with a superb solo goal that saw him collect a pass from his strike partner Brazil inside his own half and run 65 yards to slot past Simon Farnworth in the home goal. Lenny Johnrose, who replaced the abject Hughes after 25 minutes, did pull a goal back for Preston just after the hour mark as the loanee headed in Neil Williams’ cross and the home side launched a late assault on the Fulham goal. But Mackay’s man stood firm, with Glen Thomas excellent at the back, and held on for an impressive away success.
PRESTON NORTH END: Farnworth; Flynn, Swann, Hughes (Johnrose 25), Wrightson, Whitworth, Senior, Ashcroft (Williams 45), Cartwright, Shaw, Greenwood.
GOAL: Johnrose (61).
FULHAM: Stannard; Eckhardt, G. Thomas, Pike, Marshall, Morgan, Byrne, Scott, M. Kelly (Hails 81), Brazil, Farrell (Haag 51).
GOALS: Brazil (15), Farrell (29).
ATTENDANCE: 3,878.
