Preston North End got back to winning ways in League One on Saturday as they beat Oldham Athletic 1-0 at Deepdale.
The Lilywhites struck early on when Jack King slammed home from eight yards to the delight of the home crowd.
The Latics had a chance to level on the 18-minute mark when Jonson Clarke-Harris was fed through by Jonathan Forte only to see his effort deflected away for a corner.
Clarke-Harris seemed most likely to get the afternoon's second goal but was forced into fruitless shots from distance in what became a scrappy affair in the second half.
As the game wore on it was Preston who looked most dangerous, and in the 73rd minute Joe Garner set up Jordan Hugill, who cut inside only to see his shot deflected wide.
Garner found himself spurning a chance of his own in the 76th minute, heading wide after an Alan Browne left-wing cross.
Preston keeper Jamie Jones preserved the three points for his side in the dying minutes when he blocked Forte from 10 yards out, with substitute Amari Morgan-Smith putting the rebound over.
The win for Preston sees them to third, just one point behind the automatic promotion places, while Oldham remain in the relegation zone.
