While not exactly a classic match, Craig Brown's Preston did enough to grind out a well-deserved 1-0 victory against a lack-lustre Millwall side.
With no shots on target and only three efforts on goal in the entire match, Mark McGhee's team never looked like troubling the well-organised Preston back four.
In fact the visitors should have opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Richard Cresswell rounded Millwall keeper Tony Warner and, but for a desperate sliding cover tackle from Kevin Muscat, the striker would have undoubtedly broken the deadlock.
Millwall only came to life in the fourth minute when the lively Paul Ifill spun cleverly past his marker and shot low but just wide of the right-hand post.
The only goal of the game came when the Jamaican Ricardo Fuller, still recovering from his international exertions against Brazil at the weekend, crossed in the 50th minute for Paul McKenna to stab the ball home from six yards out.
With Millwall pressing for an equaliser, spaces opened up allowing Preston opportunities to counter-attack.
Brown was resolute in his support for McGhee after the match. "It's disgrace that fans are calling for Mark McGhee's head, it is deplorable in any context," he said.
"If the crowds want to complain it should be to the players not the management." On his owns team's performance, Brown felt his team, "didn't play particularly well, but we were solid and defended well." In the press conference after the match, McGhee similarly refused to shoulder all responsibility for his team's defeat.
"We've been struggling for form but I'm working as hard as I can. We have individuals who are still not playing well enough, I feel let down by them," he said.