Dave Seddon's verdict: Stoke City 0 Preston North End 2 - chilly visits to the Potteries are a breeze for PNE

For a second year running, North End returned from the bet365 Stadium with a 2-0 win, midfielder Browne scoring in both of them.

“Same kit, opposite ends,” said the Republic of Ireland international with a big smile.

“The difference is that last year it was the 10th goal of the season I scored, this one was only my third.”

Browne fired PNE ahead in the 58th minute, their second goal coming 17 minutes later through Tom Barkhuizen.

Their second-half display was a marked improvement on the first when it looked like they might fall victim to a cold Wednesday evening in the Potteries.

The fact they were able to absorb the pressure Stoke put on them, enabled them to get to half-time intact and allowed Alex Neil to make a tactical change to their approach. They went a touch uglier, cutting out the slide-rule stuff which had worked well at Wigan at the weekend.

Put in its place was a more direct approach, David Nugent coming off the bench with instructions to hold up the ball and bring others into the game.

It wasn’t route one, just a touch more pragmatic. Stoke suddenly couldn’t press them and play on the counter-attack, North End getting a foothold in the game with Browne’s opener and never looking back.

“It was a bit of a smash and grab in the end but we’ll take that,” said Browne.

“In the second half it was about grinding it out. Coming to places like this is all about the result.”

Browne and Barkhuizen took the plaudits for their goals, scored in very similar fashion at the near post.

At the other end of the pitch, Ben Davies deserved every compliment going.

What a display from the Barrow boy who blocked and nicked everything in his radius.

We have become used to seeing Davies get across to clear his lines, reading the play so well as to make it look easy.

This was more muck-and-nettles, ranging from a block in the six-yard box to a fine tackle to whip the ball away from Tyrese Campbell.

Davies was a presence in the air at both ends, the ball coming off him moments before both PNE goals.

The lad will play Premier League football sooner rather than later – hopefully that can be with Preston should they keep up their good form.

This was a sixth match unbeaten and significantly the away form has taken a turn for the better.

Barnsley, Wigan and now Stoke have been beaten three away games in a row, following on from draws at Blackburn, Leeds and Cardiff.

North End are genuine contenders for promotion, either automatically or through the play-offs.

Admittedly they looked anything but a side chasing for the Premier League in the first half on Wednesday night.

Aside from a nice spell of possession in which a Stoke player didn’t touch the ball for a good 90 seconds, it was the home side making the running.

Declan Rudd was called upon to make good saves from Campbell and James Chester.

Things changed for the better in the second half, the Lilywhites nudging ahead in the 57th minute.

Daniel Johnson forced a corner, he and the recently introduced Nugent closing Chester down.

Browne had just hobbled back on to the pitch after treatment on an ankle injury. When Johnson’s flag-kick hit Davies and bounced in the six-yard box, it fell to Browne who drove it home.

Soon after, Ben Pearson got shoulder charged in the back from James McClean, who had taken a run-up the late Bob Willis would have considered lengthy. It sparked a melee and Pearson’s reaction earned him a caution as well as McClean.

PNE’s second goal came in the 75th minute. Pearson’s pass played sub Paul Gallagher behind the Stoke defence.

Gallagher’s cross was nodded down by Davies and Barkhuizen swept a shot into the net from close range.