Preston North End thumped by Middlesbrough as Isaiah Jones punishes lacklustre Lilywhites

We've seen these games before during the Ryan Lowe era at Preston North End and boy, they do not get any easier to watch. The Lilywhites headed to Teesside for midweek Championship action and turned in a rank display, deserving of nothing. The red shirts had the red carpet rolled out for them and saw the points home in comfortable fashion, having dismantled a lacklustre PNE in the first half and headed in at the break 3-0 ahead.

Most of the the hardy 400 or so travelling fans would've likely taken nil-nil after quarter-of-an-hour, with Boro having been on a strong run of form prior to their blip in Bristol. A big shift was needed from PNE and they negotiated a drab first 15 minutes - in which precisely nothing happened - with minimal fuss. But, as spectators needed waking up, so did North End's back line. The lively Isaiah Jones nipped in behind Kian Best and slotted home the opener. That strike stretched Preston's run of games without a clean sheet to 13: an alarming statistic.

North End were hurting from Saturday's hammer-blow defeat and Ryan Lowe's men simply did not get going, whatsoever, in the first half. And, before they knew it, matters were made worse - in pretty embarrassing fashion too, as Rav van den Berg ghosted in and bundled home an inviting corner. PNE number one Freddie Woodman will have been disappointed by the lack of authority shown. Most frustrating for the Lilywhites was that Boro - who were electric in this fixture last season - had not had to be anywhere near great to take their two-nil lead. On National Alan Day, PNE were missing their skipper dearly - not that he alone could've made the required difference.

Preston had a mountain to climb but there was absolutely no encouragement of the visitors doing so - with Milutin Osmajic consigned to chasing booted long balls and North End's midfield offering no control at all. At the back, PNE were utterly wide open and Jones made it three on 37 minutes, when Morgan Rogers slipped him in with ease. The number 11 lifted the ball past the oncoming Woodman. Fewer than 60 seconds later, Jones should've sealed his hat trick, but Preston's number one denied him one one-v-one.

North End's manager could've feasibly made five changes at half time given the performance, but Lowe made do with two: Ched Evans and debutant Calvin Ramsay replacing Will Keane and the injured Osmajic. The Lilywhites could not perform any worse than they did in the first half and Liverpool loan man Ramsay sparked a dose of life into North End, with Potts bumped on to play in behind Evans and alongside Frokjaer. Preston had a good chance to pull one back early doors, but nobody in yellow was there to convert Best's low drive into the box.

It's tough enough trailing by one or two in the Championship though, never mind three. The second half became a formality, with North End huffing and puffing but ultimately knowing the game was gone a long time ago. The clear-cut chances continued to fall Middlesbrough's way, with Woodman keeping out Sam Greenwood and Emmanuel Latte Lath to ensure the damage did not worsen. As the full time whistle approached, Middlesbrough did grab their fourth as Alex Bangura's steered shot from inside the box somehow crept in.

Preston headed home empty handed and there could be no complaints - the score line a completely fair reflection of a dismal 90 minutes. With Ryan Lowe's men as poor as they have been all season and another game in three days, they'll need to put Tuesday's horror show behind them quickly. Deepdale will simply not accept anything close to a repeat.

PNE starting XI: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes, Potts, Ledson (Whatmough 88'), Whiteman, Best (Woodburn 65'), Frokjaer (Stewart 88'), Keane (Ramsay 46'), Osmajic (Evans 46') PNE unused subs: Cornell, Bauer, Holmes, Browne