Preston North End embarrass neighbours Blackburn with 3-0 result

A lacklustre Blackburn Rovers were shown up by their Lancashire neighbours Preston North End in a 3-0 drubbing tonight. Two first-half headers from summer signing Paul Hayes, the second of them from a cross delivered by the former Blackburn player Keith Treacy, put Preston in control before Michel Salgado fouled Sean St Ledger and Chris Brown scored Preston's third from the penalty spot. There was better fortune for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a successful short trip to Walsall ended in a resounding 4-0 win. Ninteen-year-old striker Ashley Hemmings headed the opener from Greg Halford's fine cross and Sam Vokes scored twice in five minutes shortly before half-time, first tapping in Scott Malone's cross and then seizing on defensive confusion to make it 3-0. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake powered into the box to smash home an emphatic fourth and substitute Kevin Doyle was a handful for the League One club, three times going close. Wigan Athletic were held to a 1-1 draw at Oldham and were forced to come from behind to secure that result, having fallen behind in the first half when Dale Stevens volleyed home superbly after running onto a poor clearance on the edge of Wigan's 18-yard box. The equaliser came when Jordi Gómez was clumsily hauled down in the penalty area by Paul Black and got up to convert the penalty.