Preston boss Ryan Lowe was delighted to avoid a potential banana skin after a comfortable 3-0 home win over a Rotherham side whose Championship status is hanging by a thread.

North End remain five points behind sixth-placed Norwich in the table, but they have lost just one of their last 10 to keep their play-off hopes alive.

Rock-bottom Rotherham, meanwhile, are now 19 points from safety with only seven matches left, having still not won a match in 2024 and not won at all on their travels this season.

Goals from Duane Holmes and two from Emil Riis just before half-time sealed all three points for Preston, with Lowe pleased at his team’s ability to get the job done.

Lowe, whose side go to struggling Birmingham on Monday, said: “A clean sheet and three points, nobody can ask for anything more than that I don’t think.

“Overall I thought the performance was fantastic.

“At this time it’s just about winning games of football, and we did that comfortably.

“I said to the players before the game that this one had to be about attitude and application, against a team who haven’t really got anything to play for.

“It could have been a potential banana skin, but to be fair to the group, it definitely didn’t turn out like that.

“We were on the front foot pretty much throughout the game, we produced some good passages of play and we scored some good goals.

“I’m pleased with the result and the performance, and so we move on to Easter Monday now and see what that brings.

“It’s all about staying positive, given the position we’re in.”

After a rather pedestrian start at Deepdale, the hosts created the first opportunity when Andrew Hughes pounced on a loose ball in the Millers box, only for his effort to be blocked by keeper Viktor Johansson.

Holmes then celebrated his return to the starting line-up by opening the scoring in the 22nd minute, darting in to coolly convert a cross from Robbie Brady.

With half-time approaching, Preston deservedly doubled their advantage when Riis took a touch from Mads Frokjaer’s cross before slotting past Johansson.

Five minutes later he struck again from close range to make it 3-0.

With the game wrapped up by half-time, the second half was a much quieter affair, with Preston looking the more likely team to score.

Rotherham could now be mathematically relegated on Easter Monday, when they host Millwall, but manager Leam Richardson wants the team to keep battling.

He said: “We know what moment we’re in here, and this club is massively in transition, I think we can all see that.

“But that’s not really what the fans want to hear – I feel for all of our fans right now.

“We’ve all got to represent ourselves and this club much better than we have been doing.

“If you’re not bang at it in this division, if you’re not at 100 per cent all the time, you know you’re going to be in for a tough ride.

“That’s what’s happened here again.

“It’s about me trying to get some confidence into the players and trying my best to give the team some kind of identity. Maybe then we can get better results.

“We certainly don’t want to be going out of this division with a whimper.

“I want everyone to stick together and show a bit more belief and confidence in these final few remaining games of the season.”

Preston halted a run of three straight defeats with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at home to managerless Millwall.

Now without the departed Gary Rowett, the Lions turned in a solid display as the hosts struggled to find a way through their resolute defence.

An at-times feisty encounter produced an eye-catching opening half-an-hour, but after that it never really scaled the heights at any point.

Preston’s Duane Holmes had already gone close before Adam Barrett’s second stint in caretaker charge of the Lions got off to a nightmare start.

In only the third minute a smart North End move culminated with Will Keane flicking the ball to Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, and the talented Dane coolly slotted past Bartosz Bialkowski from 12 yards.

Ryan Lowe’s hosts had flown out of the blocks, but Millwall were then thwarted by the woodwork in the eighth minute.

Aidomo Emakhu darted down the right before seeing a deflected strike brilliantly palmed onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

A real ding-dong battle continued with North End going close again when Holmes ran energetically through the middle before his rasping shot was beaten away by Bialkowski.

At the other end Emakhu charged towards the heart of the North End defence before seeing Woodman calmly hold on to his 20-yard drive.

A cracking strike evened the scores on the half-hour mark as Allan Campbell played a neat touch to Zian Flemming, with the Dutchman then curling home sweetly into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Millwall created the first opening of the second period, with tidy approach play setting up Campbell inside the box, but he fired disappointingly straight at Woodman.

As the Lions continued to press, Flemming dived in spectacularly but could not quite stretch enough to meet Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s super cross.

Finally the hosts found themselves some forward rhythm, only for the Lions’ rear-guard to continually stand strong.

As the 70-minute mark passed there was precious little goalmouth incident, though North End threatened when Brad Potts’ volleyed cross deflected off Millwall’s Joe Bryan before being saved by an alert Bialkowski.

Ched Evans – on as a substitute after missing seven months out injured – also went close with a flicked header.

Millwall replied with Flemming firing a rather disappointing free-kick way off target with the final action of the game, something that summed up what had been a hugely below-par effort from both teams in the second 45 minutes.

Summer signing Duane Holmes scored the winner as Preston came from behind to beat Swansea 2-1.

North End, who have now won their last three Championship games having drawn their opener, are enjoying their best start to a campaign for 15 years.

The Swans, meanwhile, are still looking for their first win of the season under new boss Michael Duff.

The visitors started brightly at Deepdale and threatened first when Liam Cullen – in for big-money departure Joel Piroe – lashed in a shot which took a deflection before flying just over the crossbar.

At the other end, Brad Potts dragged a smart pass into the path of Ryan Ledson but he clipped an effort narrowly over the top.

Both sides probed for an opening, with the Swans again going close when Cullen curled inches off target after being neatly teed up by Josh Key.

Preston came back with a great chance of their own as Holmes pulled a terrific pass back for the onrushing Mads Frokjaer, only for the Danish midfielder to scoop a disappointing shot off target from 10 yards.

Andrew Hughes fired wide from distance for Preston, while an unmarked Frokjaer’s effort from the edge of the Swans’ box was woefully high.

The Swans punished wasteful North End with a terrific strike after 33 minutes. Charlie Patino crossed in superbly for the onrushing Harrison Ashby and he buried an angled volley from eight yards.

Preston striker Will Keane almost produced an instant reply, but his snapshot was superbly kept out by keeper Carl Rushworth.

The Swans carved out the first chance of the second period as skipper Matt Grimes found space on the edge of the North End box, eventually firing a foot wide and into the side-netting.

With the visitors taking control as the hour mark approached, they almost bagged a second goal. Key curled in an effort which flicked off defender Jordan Storey before drifting just over the crossbar.

Preston finally gained some rhythm and Frokjaer turned neatly before a crisp 20-yard drive only just cleared the crossbar.

North End then evened it up in the 67th minute when Hughes rose highest to flick home a measured cross from skipper Alan Browne.

Twelve minutes later the tie was turned on its head when Holmes sidefooted home clinically as he charged in to meet Frokjaer’s low cross for what turned out to be the decisive goal.