LEE Cartwright proved he has still got what it takes to turn a match after providing the vital cross which resulted in North End limping past the worst team in league football into the next round of the Worthington Cup.

His cross into the box in the 116th minute - yes, a game against Scunthorpe went to extra time - gave fellow sub Ricardo Fuller the set-up he needed to blast home and give the Lilywhites the victory they should have ensured in the first half hour.

Scunthorpe are second bottom in Division Three, second only to Boston United, who had four points deducted at the start of the season. Work out that Scunthorpe are just three points ahead of them and you can start to see why Preston's reserves should have this wrapped up.

And maybe on another night they would have done. Little was created in the first half by Preston to show the two-division difference between the sides, and in the second half Preston couldn't score for toffee. When the chances came - normally through solo efforts from Paul McKenna - the finishing from David Healy and Richard Cresswell just wasn't there.

So thank heavens for the arrival of Cartwright four minutes from the end. Along with McKenna, he gave the fans something to cheer about as he began piling on the pressure in a game which otherwise, would have gone on all night. And on this occasion, the arrival of penalties would have been greeted like pennies from heaven. It was that bad.

But it should never have come to extra time. And Scunthorpe should have never taken the lead.

On 11 minutes, Steve Torpey's rattled home on the rebound following a fine save by David Lucas.

Graham Alexander went on to miss with a wild shot on goal before being taking a penalty awarded after Richard Cresswell was felled in the penalty area.

Creswell, along with Healy and Alexander, missed a hatful of chances you can only hope he would bag if it had been a league game.

Preston were awarded an indirect free kick on the stroke of half time for a backpass but it was executed too quickly by Alexander and Healy scuffed his close-range shot wide of goal.

The second half produced little to cheer about - apart from the ironic cheer when Dickson Etuhu was awarded man of the match - as woeful attacking was only matched by poor defending which, had Scunthorpe been more on the ball, could have led to them stealing what would have been a very-prized scap for them.

PRESTON 2

Alexander, Fuller

SCUNTHORPE 1

Torpey