Yuki Ohashi struck in the last minute of stoppage time for Blackburn to give new boss Michael O'Neill a 1-0 win over Preston in his first home game in charge of the club.

The Japanese forward, introduced as a 67th-minute substitute, gave the hosts much-needed impetus in a Lancashire derby they contested keenly, but struggled to find the attacking touch.

They continued to push and in the fifth minute of added time, Ohashi planted a header beyond David Cornell to notch his seventh and arguably most important goal of the campaign.

That earned Blackburn back-to-back wins for the first time since November and crucially moved them six points clear of danger.

Preston's three-game unbeaten run came to an end and although Alfie Devine twice grazed the woodwork, they did not make their early dominance count as they missed the chance to move into the play-off places.

The visitors started well and Devine's second-minute corner hit the top of the crossbar, though it did not seem to worry Balasz Toth.

Image: Yuki Ohashi scored the winning goal for Blackburn

The Hungarian shot-stopper was brought into action in the 10th minute when Lewis...