ONE-time North End target Scott Dobie scored his sixth goal in four games to pile the misery on Preston at the Hawthorns last night.

North End thought they had kick-started this season after their first victory in the league with the win over Millwall on Saturday.

But Dobie, a £150,000 bargain buy from Carlisle United in the summer and last season linked with a move to Deepdale, made sure they left with nothing.

Dobie, a replacement for the prolific Lee Hughes who joined Coventry, is fast becoming the new darling of West Brom.

He struck in the 27th minute after Richard Cresswell had gone close for North End.

The former Leicester man, paired up from with transfer-listed Jon Macken, pulled a good save from Russell Hoult before the Baggies broke.

Defender Chris Lucketti tried to clear the attack, the ball ricocheted to Dobie who lifted it over North End keeper Tepi Moilanen from about 12 yards out.

And Preston then had a lucky escape after Ryan Kidd had upended Adam Chambers in the area on 33 minutes. Neil Clement hit the crossbar with the spotkick and it bounced out to the relief of the North End players.

Moilanen denied Bob Taylor in the second half but Gary Megon's men made sure the points were safe in the 71st minute.

Preston manager David Moyes had just added striker David Healy to the fray as he looked to change things around and go for the equaliser.

Instead it was Dobie who found the back of the net, capitalising on a poor clearance from Lucketti and the 24-year-old chipped Moilanen and made the points safe.

Megson said: "I thought Scott had great potential when I found him but we had to throw him into the team a lot sooner than expected.

"The idea was to nurse him into the side but now he's looking every inch a marvellous centre-forward." RESULT: WEST BROM...2 PRESTON...0