THE IRISH CONTINGENT were very much to the fore as Preston kept their faint play-off hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Leeds United at Deepdale tonight.
Sean Maguire’s stunning form continued as he headed the Lilywhites into a 2-1 lead on 52 minutes before Cork native Alan Browne — who was deservedly named Man of the Match — sealed the win in the closing stages.
Alex Neil’s side found themselves on the back foot after just 13 minutes, but Paul Gallagher struck a penalty to level matters before the Irish players closed the match out.
With four fixtures remaining and five points adrift of the play-off places, maximum points from tonight will come as a plus for Preston as they overturned recent disappointing results.
Meanwhile, David Meyler was on target for Hull City as he scored a penalty in their 5-0 win over Burton Albion.
On the contrary, Aiden McGeady missed a spot-kick as Norwich rescued a late 1-1 draw with his side, Sunderland.
And elsewhere in the Championship, there were wins for Ipswich — as Clare teenager Barry Cotter made his debut and Mick McCarthy stepped down after the game — QPR, Brentford, Fulham, Milwall, Bristol City, Sheffield United and Aston Villa.
Jack Grealish produced a spectacular volley to bag a late win for Villa and spark their promotion bid back to life.
WATCH: Jack Grealish scores a wonder-goal late on to hand Aston Villa a priceless win over promotion rivals Cardiff 😱
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 10, 2018
That was an absolute peach! 🍑
Recap and reaction from Villa's 1-0 win over Cardiff is here: https://t.co/UZRDBOXI2R https://t.co/P8Q4oFwqI0
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!