Carling Cup second round
Gareth Davis reports from Deepdale

Derby County are in the third round of the Carling Cup for the first time since 2001 after a hard-earned - but deserved - 1-0 win away to Preston.

The Rams started slowly but they came more into the game as it went on and it was no surprise when Paul Green headed them in front before half-time.

And after the break Paul Jewell's men were in command as they repelled any threat the home side offered while looking dangerous on the break.

Ultimately they couldn't add to their tally but they will be more than pleased with their night's work.

Paul Connolly came in for his first Derby start and was made captain as Paul Jewell rang the changes in Lancashire.

Jordan Stewart was in on the other side of the back four, also for his debut, while Dean Leacock returned in the centre of defence.

Przemyslaw Kazmierczak was back in the centre of midfield alongside teenager Miles Addison, but the visitors had the best early chance through Ross Wallace who fired over from ten yards after burrowing his way through.

Neil Mellor then fired a powerful shot straight at Carroll from the edge of the box, after linking well with Chris Sedgwick, but gradually Derby began to find their feet.

They had a good spell around the half-hour mark that culminated in Kazmierczak striking the post from 14 yards, and - for the first time this season - they scored the game's first goal.

It arrived on 37 minutes as Stewart made ground down the left and curled over a deep cross that Paul Green rose well to power home a fine header past Andy Lonergan.

Derby were almost two-up soon afterwards through Kris Commons, whose cross-shot dipped just past the post, while Roy Carroll saved Darren Carter's free-kick well right on half-time.

Preston opened up the second period in the ascendancy and looked set for an immediate response as Mellor closed in on Sedgwick's cross but misjudged his run as the goal gaped and he ended up stretching and couldn't get a decent connection on his shot.

But that was the spark for Derby to step their game up and they soon regained control of proceedings.

Addison was looking more than comfortable in midfield and alongside him, Kazmierczak was enjoying his best performance so far in a Derby shirt.

Though it was striker Rob Hulse who had two good opportunities to extend the lead around the hour-mark as first he rose superbly to meet Green's cross, only for Lonergan to deny him with a fantastic save, while a great last-ditch challenge from Billy Jones denied him as he raced away from Tito Villa's pass.

At the other end Carroll was having very little to do other than grab crosses, which he was doing confidently, while in front of him Leacock and Martin Albrechtsen were more than solid.

Commons gave the home defence plenty to think about all night and came close to doubling the Rams' lead with a thunderous 20-yarder that flashed just wide of Lonergan's post.

As time ticked on Preston threw more and more men forward and their efforts almost paid dividends right at the death.

Carroll grabbed a Mellor header, Villa fired just wide at the other end, but a series of corners and crosses in to the Derby box ultimately produced a golden chance.

Simon Whaley's ball in was nodded back across goal where Jones lay in wait but, inexplicably, he managed to screw his shot backwards and the chance was gone.

And, with that, were Preston's hopes of victory.

Preston: Lonergan, Hart, Sedgwick (Whaley 68), Hawley, Carter (Chaplow 83), St Ledger, McKenna (C), Hill, Jones, Wallace, Mellor.

Substitutes: Neal (GK), Mawene, Jarrett, Nicholson, Ormerod.

Derby: Carroll, Connolly (C), Green, Stewart, Kazmierczak (Mears 77), Commons, Villa, Hulse (Davies 77), Leacock, Addison, Albrechtsen.

Substitutes: Bywater (GK), McEveley, Sterjovski, Pearson, Pereplotkins.