Preston 1 Shrewsbury Town 0 - match report and pictures

Paul Huntington's 19th minute strike was enough to hand the League One Lilywhites a second cup victory over Town in less then four months.

Simon Grayson's side had earlier this season knocked Town out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with a first round win by the same score.

And they again found the extra bit of quality needed to deny Micky Mellon's League Two promotion hopefuls in the FA Cup albeit in a close game.

Town striker James Collins almost gave the visitors a fifth minute lead only for his excellent curling effort to be palmed away by Lilywhites goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann.

But ex-Shrewsbury winger Chris Humphrey's low drive then required a similar save from Town's Jayson Leutwiler two minutes later.

The visitors enjoyed plenty of possession in the following 10 minutes, passing confidently albeit without finding the killer final ball needed.

But they lost midfielder James Wesolowski to an injury on 17 minutes, with Jordan Clark brought on as his replacement.

And they fell behind in disappointing circumstances two minutes later when Huntington slammed home from 12 yards after Town had failed to clear a cross into the box.

Town struggled to respond to that set back and they had to endure some difficult moments in the ensuing 15 minutes as Humphrey in particular caused real problems out wide.

At the other end Liam Lawrence twice failed to extend Stuckmann approaching half time, drilling wide with his first effort and straight at the keeper with his second.

Manager Mickey Mellon made his second change of the game at the break, with Mickey Demetriou replacing Jermaine Grandison.

Town made most of the early running after the break, and Bobby Grant was not far away with a low drive to the far post.

He went closer with a decent 25-yard free-kick midway through the half that Stuckmann got down well to save.

And Collins saw a superb low drive cleared from virtually on the goal line soon afterwards.

But Preston substitute Kevin Davies should have extended his side's lead entering the final 20 minutes.

He looked odds on to at least hit the target after Leutwiler could only parry a long range effort out but curled the rebound just wide.

And Paul Gallagher missed an even better chance when he blazed a penalty over the bar with 13 minutes remaining but it mattered not as the hosts survived to take a narrow win.