Gallagher effort enough for Preston
Paul Gallagher's first-half effort saw 10-man Preston continue their league hoodoo over MK Dons as the visitors claimed a narrow 1-0 Championship victory at Stadium mk.
Gallagher struck the winner just before the half-hour mark, finishing off a fine counter-attack in this battle of the two sides promoted from League One last season.
With 10 minutes remaining Preston's Jordan Hugill was shown a straight red card just moments after coming off the bench, but the visitors held on to maintain their record of never losing to MK Dons in a league clash.
The hosts went into this game having thumped Rotherham 4-1 in their opener, and they started well as Sam Gallagher fired wide after being set up by Dean Bowditch.
Preston goalkeeper Jordan Pickford then kept his side on level terms in the 19th minute when he superbly clawed Carl Baker's header away to safety.
Baker was on target again within a minute after a twisting run, although Pickford's save at his near post was more routine.
After being on the back foot, the visitors gave a glimpse of what was to come when Daniel Johnson flashed a left-footed shot just wide after a first time ball from Gallagher.
A similarly slick break then saw Preston take a 28th-minute lead. Joe Garner's foraging run down the right led to a clever pass inside the box for Gallagher who expertly gave himself time to wrong foot David Martin with a side footed finish.
Johnson was again within a couple of feet of scoring with an almost identical left-footed shot after Will Keane switched play in the 33rd minute before Tom Clarke's celebrations were cut short due to a push as Dons defended a Gallagher corner.
Far from sitting on their lead, Preston dominated large periods of the second period to the delight of their travelling fans.
Garner sent a powerful header just over the bar and Keane dragged a shot disappointingly wide after an instant ball forward from Gallagher.
The visitors kept MK pressed back defending a series of free kicks and corners without quite carving out a clear opening. Twice Garner chose the ambitious option with long range shots that were wide of the target.
In contrast, MK struggled to apply consistent pressure although they were lifted by Hugill's moment of madness in the 83rd minute when he lashed out at Kyle McFadzean.
Six minutes of added time provided the home side with their last opportunity but the visitors deservedly held out to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Source: PA
