Subs changed the game for Preston North End as they saw off Cardiff City in the Championship

Tom Cannon and Ched Evans scored in the second half to give Ryan Lowe's side their second home win in three games.

It bolstered their home record but more importantly gave their skipper something to smile about as he and his partner went through the stresses of labour as Alan Browne waited anxiously to welcome his second son into the world.

He was a late dropout on the day, originally planned to be in the starting XI before he found out 'today's the day' and he swiftly made his way to be with his partner, congratulations to both.

With drama off the pitch there was a little on it too, with Cardiff being reduced to 10 men with just minutes to go in the game as Jak Alnwick came charging out to clatter Cannon outside the area, stopping a clear goalscoring opportunity and making it two for two when it comes to Bluebirds goalkeepers and red cards, having seen Ryan Allsop sent for an early bath last week.

Cannon’s goal on 68 minutes came courtesy of a smart run and a great ball from Greg Cunningham, the former showing good composure to finish high into the net. Evans netted in second half stoppage time as Ben Whiteman’s free kick was saved into his path to turn into an empty net.

Whilst the action picked up towards the end, the first half was a tough watch.

PNE toiled away, as they often do, but there was just so little for them to get out of the game.

Time and time again they attempted a ball into the channel that was repelled by the Welsh side's defence, it was easy to predict, easy to defend and giving Troy Parrott and Cannon so little to work with.

If by some miracle they were able to make the first contact with the ball, it was often the case that their touch might let them down, if it didn't, they were quickly drowned out by blue bodies.

North End's shape was very clear, in and out of possession, you could see the straight lines as they set up, but it didn't allow much for creativity, it didn't seem conducive to an attacking brand.

Passes would simply be rolled sideways or backwards before it was hooked forward down the throat of a Cardiff defender.

In North End's defence, their opposition were not any better at creating chances, but they're currently 21st in the Championship, they're six points off the relegation zone and next in line to go down.

PNE's aim should be to show that they're better than these sorts of sides, dominate and give themselves a bit of an easy time, although this is the Championship so maybe that is naive.

There will have been people contemplating leaving at half time but for those that stayed they saw a better Preston performance, and ultimately, a win.

The turning point in the game was on the hour. Lowe corrected a mistake he made on Friday as he picked his side. Evans was introduced.

We have seen it before with North End, in the past it was a choice between Evans, Emil Riis, Sean Maguire or Scott Sinclair when Alex Neil was in charge. Invariably, it always felt like a game for whoever wasn't in the side, and that's what it proved to be on Saturday.

Troy Parrott didn't have the best of games, regardless of how the game suited his play, which it didn't, he was off it for the 60 minutes he played. It does not need a big deal, these things happen, but Evans was completely different.

Almost making up for lost time, he was straight into the thick of it, the ball stuck to him and he has the confidence and nous for little touches that make it harder for defenders to dispossess him, or it just takes it beyond an outstretched foot. It buys him time on the ball but also buys his teammates time to get up in support.

It also means he can get onto some loose balls because play gravitates towards him, he's never too far away from the action.

Credit has to be given to Lowe, the introduction of Evans, and Robbie Brady at the same time, is what gave North End the edge on the day and the win.

Preston lost seven of 10 league games between November 12 and February 11 but have gone unbeaten in six since then, four of those games coming at home after a run of five defeats on the spin at Deepdale.

It looked perilous for Lowe but has turned things around so far, and likely still needs a few more wins to prove it's properly behind him, but there are good signs.

Cannon continues to show good signs too. There is just a sense that you get when you see a goalscorer and he is one. He seems to be laser-focused on attacking the goal and scoring goals. He should have scored in the first half but kept his head and took his chance well in the second 45.

That's two for him now and hopefully into a rhythm of scoring. It's taken a bit of time for him to learn the Championship, and he will keep learning, but he's a positive addition to PNE post January.

Fair play to him also for getting on the end of Perry Ng’s sliced clearance knowing full well he’d take a beating for it, which he did, but it gave PNE a man advantage and a free kick that they ended up scoring from.

North End have the makings for a positive end to the season. They seem to have figured out how to keep the ball out again, important players like Daniel Johnson and Browne look back at it again and they have goals up top with Evans and Cannon at the moment.

There are some tough games to come but they could at least give PNE fans something to smile about over the next few weeks.