Preston 0 Derby 1

Green (left) - second goal in three games.

Derby put their nightmare start to the Coca-Cola Championship season behind them with a morale-boosting 1-0 Carling Cup victory against Preston at Deepdale.

Paul Green's second goal in three games - a neat header from a corner - was enough to separate the two sides, with the Rams also hitting the woodwork in the first half through Przemyslaw Kazmierczak.

Both sides made a host of changes for the tie.

Preston brought in Michael Hart, Darren Carter, Ross Wallace and Karl Hawley, while Dean Leacock, Paul Connolly, Miles Addison, Jordan Stewart and Kazmierczak started for Derby.

Wallace had the first chance of the evening for Preston. A deep cross from Chris Sedgwick was not dealt with by goalkeeper Roy Carroll but Wallace failed to make the most of the chance, slicing the ball wide.

Midfielder Kris Commons put Preston goalkeeper Andy Lonergan under pressure with a swirling free-kick which was punched clear, while at the other end Neil Mellor fired in a superb volley which was straight at Carroll.

The Rams came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 37th minute when Commons broke clear of his marker down the right and crossed for Rob Hulse.

The former Sheffield United striker failed to make a good connection with his shot but the ball broke for Kazmierczak who thumped an effort against the post from the edge of the box.

But Derby made the most of a good spell of pressure, with Green opening the scoring in the 40th minute.

A deep cross from Stewart picked out the midfielder and he guided a header in off the post.

Mellor toe-poked a shot wide as North End looked to get back on level terms early in the second half.

The former Liverpool striker glanced a header wide and Sean St. Ledger headed the ball into the arms of Carroll from a Wallace free-kick as Preston continued to push forward.

But it was Derby who almost doubled their advantage in the 66th minute when Paul Connolly's cross was directed goalwards by the head of Hulse, only for Lonergan to palm the ball to safety.

It was end to end as time ticked on, with St. Ledger just managing to take the ball off Hulse's boot as he looked set to score and Mellor failing to get enough direction on a header from a Simon Whaley cross.

Martin Albrechtsen could have killed the tie for the Rams late on, but his close-range header was blocked by Hart, while Preston should have forced extra time but Wallace somehow failed to connect with a Whaley cross.

Teams

Preston Lonergan, Hart, Jones, St. Ledger, Hill,Sedgwick (Whaley 68), McKenna, Carter (Chaplow 82), Wallace,Mellor, Hawley.

Subs Not Used: Chris Neal, Mawene, Jarrett, Nicholson, Ormerod.

Derby Carroll, Connolly, Leacock, Albrechtsen, Stewart,Kazmierczak (Mears 77), Addison, Green, Commons,Hulse (Davies 77), Villa.

Subs Not Used: Bywater, McEveley, Sterjovski, Pearson,

Pereplotkins.

Booked: Addison, Leacock, Villa.

Goals: Green 40.

Att: 8,037

Ref: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire).