WHAT a load of cobblers! It was meant to be another step towards clinching promotion, but as with all parties, North End behaved like the disgruntled late-comer who always looks like he can't be bothered.

Northampton gate-crashed the proceedings and stole the limelight with their impressive party-pieces. All three of them.

Preston have let their five-point lead vanish in the space of just five days. The phrases 'champions-elect' may have been shouted around earlier in the week, but after this particular 90 minutes of North End drivel, nobody dared even whisper it. The visitors grabbed the lead in the 14th minute with Neil Grayson striking the first of his three deadly blows.

His opening punch rattled PNE and his subsequent powerful follow-ups left them rooted to the canvas.

North End couldn't put a foot right, indeed at all times it looked as if they didn't want to.

If anything, this disaster has shown Gary Peters what needs to be done for next season.

Grayson notched his second of the day in the 71st minute and rounded off a fine hat-trick seven minutes later.

That goal resulted in a marked decrease in the attendance and in many ways this performance was worse than Lincoln, Barnet and Rochdale.

Gary Peters was defiant afterwards: "We're still top and I'm probably the calmest man in Preston," he said.

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