Preston manager Alan Irvine saluted his side's fighting spirit which saw them claim a 3-2 victory over Coventry and return to fourth in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Coming back from behind to win - just like they did 14 times last season - was the perfect way for Preston to put a bad week behind them following the departure of centre-back Sean St Ledger and their first defeat of the season.

A delighted Irvine said : "It was vitally important for us to win, we didn't want everyone linking Sean's departure with us not being able to get results.

"I said that we needed to be braver to take the ball, be prepared to take responsibility rather than hope somebody else might take it, might turn things around.

"The lads showed great character to dig deep. Goals change games drastically. It wasn't a day for blasting anybody. I felt we were a bit nervous at the start of the game, not very driven on the ball and giving it away very cheaply.

"Last year we probably didn't get enough goals from our front players. The second goal of ours was fantastic. It was a counter-attack you would be drooling about if you saw Arsenal or Man United doing it."