MILD-MANNERED Craig Brown found himself back in the stands after being sent off for walking on to the pitch.

The manager was irate after seeing his side denied a clear-cut penalty. Preston's curse of the dodgy refs strikes again!

But it was Richard Cresswell who struck again on the field - he's allowed to be on it - to seal Preston's victory on the south coast.

After living dangerously in the first half, with Danny Cullip and Bobby Zamora going close to scoring, Preston re-emerged reinvigorated in the second half.

Michael Jackson rose unmarked to thump home Graham Alexander's corner.

Both Eric Skora and Cresswell were denied by veteran keeper Dave Beasent, whose toppling of Pawel Abbott - and the subsequent non-appearance of a penalty - led to to Brown's dismissal from the bench.

But Cresswell did get on the score sheet in the end, knocking away into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

BRIGHTON 0 - PRESTON 2