Last updated on .From the section Championship

Preston captain Paul Gallagher netted his fifth goal of the season after his initial penalty was saved

Preston North End scored a late winner to beat a resilient Luton and go third in the Championship.

Paul Gallagher opened the scoring early on, tapping in a rebound after his initial penalty had been saved.

Luton then levelled as James Collins struck a spot-kick of his own straight down the middle after Paul Huntington tripped Callum McManaman in the box.

But Preston substitute Jayden Stockley ensured victory with six minutes remaining, slotting the ball home following a goalmouth scramble.

Preston beat Fulham 2-1 on Tuesday to end a run of four consecutive Championship defeats without scoring a goal.

And they started this fixture perfectly as Gallagher opened the scoring after referee Gavin Ward had awarded the Lilywhites an early penalty, with Luton's Matty Pearson penalised for shirt-pulling in the area.

The Hatters had a flurry of opportunities midway through the opening period and also had their own penalty shout for a handball waved away, while Preston came close to making it 2-0 as Billy Bodin's header from Andrew Hughes' cross was cleared off the line by Luton's Pearson.

The hosts dominated the opening period, but the visitors - who last won at Deepdale in January 1972 - levelled against the run of play two minutes before half-time.

Substitute Harry Cornick could have put Luton in front before Stockley's winner, seeing his one-on-one saved by Preston keeper Declan Rudd, but it was North End who produced the decisive moment.

Preston North End boss Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I thought our biggest error today was letting them back into the game. I thought when we got the first goal, that's the breakthrough you need against these sorts of sides. It didn't transpire that way, I thought we were a bit sloppy.

"I thought their penalty was really soft. I watched it back and I thought it was a poor decision. But we shouldn't have let them be able to make a decision.

"We won't be talking about this game in a week's time. We'll be talking about going third and that's all that matters."

Luton Town manager Graeme Jones told BBC Three Counties Radio:

"A draw was the fairer result today, there was nothing in the game at all. And remember, they have gone third now.

"This is some away ground to come to, and we had a right go. We competed.

"We've got to fight and earn the right to be in a stronger position."