Last updated on .From the section Championship

Billy Bodin joined Preston from Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee on 3 January

Preston climbed to within three points of the Championship play-off places with victory at Nottingham Forest.

Billy Bodin put the visitors in front with his first goal for the club, slotting past Jordan Smith from Callum Robinson's through ball.

Tom Barkhuizen doubled the lead, heading home Paul Gallagher's corner.

Preston, who left out striker Jordan Hugill amid interest from Crystal Palace, then sealed the win when Daniel Johnson fired in from the penalty spot.

Victory at the City Ground was a first in 15 years for Preston, playing without Hugill after manager Alex Neil "decided a team fully focused on the game" external-link was required.

His team choice eventually proved to be the right one, though Nottingham Forest had the better of the early chances with Apostolos Vellios twice unable to convert.

But the Reds were unable to turn their opportunities into a single shot on target and couldn't handle an improved Preston side after the break.

Defeat for the hosts was their third in four games under new boss Aitor Karanka, leaving them 15th in the table, nine points above the relegation zone.

Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka told BBC Radio Nottingham:

"I feel embarrassed, I can understand the people today who left before the finish of the game.

"It's been a poor game, a poor performance but we have to keep going and feel confident.

"In the second half we looked like a team without soul, without spirit, and it's unbelievable that 10 days ago we played against Wolves [a 2-0 win] in that way."

Preston manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I thought it was a really good performance from Billy. I think for him, when a lad moves club, particularly from one part of the country to another, there's a lot of upheaval.

"He's moving his life, he'd moving home, he's coming away from his girlfriend or his parents and there's a lot of things to get in order, and it's like anything else, if you're not settled off the pitch then on the pitch you don't do as well as you usually would.

"Jordan came to the game, he watched the game from the stands.

"I had a chat with him before the game and said to him I'm removing you from the team because I think at this moment in time your mind's not going to be on the game as much as we require it to be."