Last updated on .From the section Championship

Jackson Irvine has scored five goals for Hull this season

Jackson Irvine scored twice to give his resurgent Hull City side victory at Preston North End in the Championship.

The Australia forward headed in Stephen Kingsley's floated cross for his first goal since 15 September to put the visitors in front at Deepdale.

Alan Browne equalised straight after the break with a superb curling effort from outside the box.

But Irvine scrambled in his second from a corner to earn the Tigers their fourth victory in five league matches.

Hull have now taken 21 points from a possible 30 having won just two of their opening 14 league games and are nine points from both the play-offs and relegation zone in 15th.

Preston, who only have one fit striker in Lukas Nmecha, registered 22 shots on goal, but lacked a clinical edge.

Tom Barkhuizen sent a couple of chances wide either side of Browne's 25-yard strike, while Hull's defenders snuffed out several decent opportunities as they held on for victory.

Preston have now lost successive games following Saturday's defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, with a home match to finish 2018 to come against Aston Villa.

Hull end their year with a visit to Championship leaders Leeds United on Saturday.

Preston North End manager Alex Neil:

"Both teams played the same way with the same formation. They did it because they're away from home and we did it because we're lacking in numbers at the top end of the pitch.

"I'm not really happy with how we performed in the first half. I thought we didn't carry much effort.

"We made some changes at half-time to make the game more open and go heavy at the top end of the pitch but we were vulnerable to the counter-attack.

"The second goal we conceded was really poor. It was a corner, we misjudge it and it ends up under the bar and it gets bundled over the line at the back post - that's really frustrating."

Hull City manager Nigel Adkins told BBC Radio Humberside:

"We knew it was going to be really challenging. They're a big, physical side and we knew it was going to be very competitive.

"The first half was good. I thought we played some good football, passed it about and the first goal was a super goal.

"At half-time, the first thing we said was that our biggest threat was complacency. I was disappointed with the goal we conceded.

"To be fair to the players, we weathered that period and looked a massive threat ourselves. We got the winner and then saw it out at the end."