Awful Town fell to a crushing 4-0 home defeat to Preston North End. The Blues rarely looked like getting back into the game after two goals from Lilywhites' striker David Nugent put the visitors ahead just after the half hour, David Jones and Patrick Agyemang completing the scoring.

With the club, perhaps surprisingly, unable to establish whether they were allowed to field Richard Naylor during their appeal against his red card at Millwall on Saturday, Aidan Collins came in for his first league start, alongside Fabian Wilnis at the heart of the defence.

The Blues were otherwise unchanged from the team which beat Millwall 2-1 on Saturday, boss Joe Royle continuing to use the 4-5-1 formation with Sam Parkin the lone striker.

Town started brightly and Darren Currie played in Parkin on the right of the penalty area in the opening minute, the former Swindon man's shot deflecting wide.

On nine, Owen Garvan found Ian Westlake with a cross-field ball, the midfielder taking the ball on a few strides but his shot was blocked. Soon after, Currie twisted first one way and then the other before shooting over.

The Blues had enjoyed the vast majority of the possession in the opening stages but there was a warning of what was to come later in the game in the 12th minute when Tyrone Mears crossed from the right and Daniele Dichio headed against the far post having lost Aidan Collins.

Preston might have been down to 10 men on the quarter hour when David Nugent went in late on Sito and then compounded his transgression by trying to pull the Town defender off the ground by his shirt. The foul was an obvious yellow card, while some referees would have seen the second offence equally worthy of a caution. Mr Brian Curson, however, wasn't one of them.

The resultant freekick from Currie flashed across the Preston box but no Town player could get a touch. On 22 Jim Magilton found Sam Parkin inside the box, the striker playing the ball into Garvan's path but keeper Carlo Nash rushing out to grab it ahead of the young Irishman.

A minute later, Parkin charged down a Nash clearance, the ball flying away from goal and Magilton failing to make as much of the error as he did of Andy Marshall's mistake at the Den on Saturday.

Town were still well on top and Magilton shot over from wide on the left in the 24th minute. Not long after, Matt Richards was close to playing in Garvan on the left of the area, his pass just too strong for the midfielder.

On 28 David Jones, a loanee from Manchester United, shot over from 20 yards, before turning and clipping a strike only just over Lewis Price's cross bar from slightly further out.

On the half hour mark Jim Magilton lashed a loose bouncing ball goalwards but Nash dived smartly to his right to push it away.

From the corner, Preston went ahead. The ball was cleared and the visitors broke, Garvan's tackle on halfway played the ball into the path of Jones who slipped in Nugent with too many Town players committed up field. Nugent, as he did last season at Deepdale, made no mistake in slotting the ball home.

The former Bury man, booked earlier for his foul on Sito, celebrated in front of the North Stand, something that again might have attracted a yellow card from a stricter referee than Mr Curson.

Three minutes later Nugent scored his second. The 20-year-old was allowed to waltz past Richards on the edge of the area and met no further challenges as he slammed the ball past Price. Nugent once again taunted opposition fans without any reproach from Mr Curson.

Town were shell-shocked at the double blow which was hardly deserved on the balance of play at that stage of the game. The Blues had played much the better football without creating too many chances but had been caught on the break and then had allowed one of the division's more dangerous strikers what was virtually a free strike on goal.

Joe Royle made his first change with five minutes of the first half remaining, Dean McDonald replacing Kevin Horlock, the former Arsenal trainee joining Sam Parkin up front as the Blues switched to 4-4-2. McDonald was quickly into the action, shooting over from the edge of the area.

But more woe was to come before the break, Preston passing their way through the increasingly shambolic Town defence and Jones shooting across Price from the left of the area and into the net.

The Blues were booed off at half-time after a woeful 15 minutes which had already all but gifted the visitors the points, Town as so often failing to impress in front of the Sky cameras.

Boss Joe Royle made no further changes at the break but as Preston started much the stronger, took only six minutes to introduce Jaime Peters and Jimmy Juan into a by now painfully overrun midfield for Jim Magilton and Owen Garvan.

Chances were rare at either end but Lewis Price saved Brian O'Neil's header from a corner just after the hour. Preston midfielder Paul McKenna received a yellow card for failing to retreat at a freekick soon after. From the kick, Currie's ball into the box was headed back across goal by Parkin but hit a defender and ran to the keeper.

Town were showing very few signs of getting back into the game, with Preston content in the main to keep possession and pass the ball around between themselves.

Currie shot over after Peters had done well down the right, then Fabian Wilnis struck what was perhaps an inaugural 30-yard bullet which Nash did well to stop, the Town crowd sarcastically celebrating the first effort on goal of the half.

Nugent wasn't far from his hat-trick in the 73rd minute when Price missed the ball on the edge of the area when challenging the highly-rated striker. The loose ball eventually fell to Nugent but his weak shot was easy for Fabian Wilnis on the line. The two-goal striker was subbed to boos with 15 minutes remaining.

Westlake headed a Currie cross just wide, prior to a minor dust-up between Jimmy Juan and Claude Davis, the Preston man claiming the Frenchman had taken a dive as the challenged in the area.

Billy Davies's men capped a famous afternoon - they had neither won nor scored at Portman Road since 1964 - when Patrick Agyemang ran onto a long ball, held off Aidan Collins and beat the again helpless Lewis Price.

Jimmy Juan headed a Currie corner wide, then Collins made an important challenge on Agyemang before Peters had a shot blocked and Westlake's header forced Nash into a rare save.

The final whistle blew to more boos after Town's worst home display in some seasons. Rarely did they look like threatening the Preston goal despite controlling the early stages.

None of the four Preston goals will make pretty viewing for the Town defence when they are undoubtedly made to watch them later this week, while the way the side as a whole collapsed after going two behind was perhaps as worrying as the goals themselves.

The expected spirited second half comeback seen in previous seasons against Sheffield United and Plymouth failed to materialise in any form and Preston's defence will have been given more of a test during their pre-season games than they were by the Town frontmen.

Questions are likely to be asked regarding Town's failure to definitively ascertain whether Richard Naylor was available for selection while his appeal is awaited, with TWTD's understanding of the current rules being that players are eligible to play until an appeal is heard. Naylor's absence was very much felt at the heart of a defence already weakened by Jason De Vos's injury.

All in all an afternoon from which few positives can be taken, with fans spending the closing stages trying to remember the last time the Blues were as poor at home.

Town: Price, Sito, Richards, Wilnis, Collins, Magilton (Juan 51), Westlake, Horlock (McDonald 40), Currie, Garvan (Peters 51), Parkin. Unused: Supple, Bowditch. Att: 22,551.

Photo: Action Images

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