Thierry Small scores against former club as Preston beat Charlton

Thierry Small scored against his old club as Preston beat Charlton 2-0 in the Sky Bet Championship.

The 21-year-old was getting token jeers from the away following and he responded with a deflected opener in the 67th minute.

In a game of attrition on a windy afternoon, Daniel Jebbison scored his first goal for Preston to double the lead late in the second half.

It was Jebbison who had the first shot of a very cagey opening after 15 minutes but the on-loan Bournemouth man directed Andrija Vukcevic’s delivery comfortably wide.

Charlton were happy to sit in and contain North End with Sonny Carey having their first sight of goal 10 minutes later, curling well wide from 25 yards despite having time to pick his spot.

Shortly after, Lewis Dobbin had two bites at the Charlton cherry – scuffing a shot from range harmlessly wide before thundering over the bar from a tight angle inside the box.

Vukcevic was a constant threat down the left for Preston and his whipped delivery was glanced wide by Ben Whiteman as another half-chance went begging for the hosts.

The Addicks nearly took the lead at the end of the half with a lovely passing move, finishing with Charlie Kelman finding Tyreece Campbell with a low ball into the box but Jordan Storey made an excellent block at the last moment.

Paul Heckingbottom’s men came out of the traps firing with Dobbin launching over from the edge of the box just a few minutes into the second half.

Ali McCann had a golden chance to score on the hour mark after being picked out unmarked in the six-yard box by Andrew Hughes but his header was too close to Thomas Kaminski, who made an excellent reaction stop.

Inevitably it was Small who bagged the opener, receiving the ball from Dobbin inside a crowded penalty area before seeing his strike loop off Kayne Ramsay and over Kaminski.

The London outfit rallied and James Bree shanked horribly over as Preston failed to convincingly clear their lines from Macaulay Gillesphey’s cross.

Dobbin, the provider for the goal, then had a chance to double the lead after storming into the box and beyond the Charlton defence but his 72nd-minute dinked effort sailed harmlessly wide.

Liam Lindsay and Alfie Devine both came onto the pitch in the 77th minute and they combined brilliantly three minutes later for the second Preston goal. Devine then squared for Jebbison, who stroked home from close range.