Preston North End took a big step forward in the race for the play-offs on Saturday afternoon, as they beat struggling local rivals Wigan Athletic 2-1 at The DW Stadium.

After Tom Barkhuizen opened the scoring for North End with seven minutes on the clock, Daniel Johnson doubled the visitor's advantage early in the second half to seemingly put Preston in control.

Wigan would pull one back with just over half an hour remaining through Chey Dunkley, but Alex Neil's side hung on for three points which have lifted them back into the play-off places.

That should give Neil plenty of encouragement heading into the final 15 games of the season, and here, we look at three things we learnt about Preston from their latest win.

A centre forward may not have been quite as big a transfer priority as they thought

While the failure to bring in an option to lead the line in January had been a concern for some of a concern for those of a Preston persuasion, it seems those worries may have been assuaged somewhat, thanks to those finding the net on Saturday.

With Johnson and Barkhuizen both finding the net at Wigan, the duo have now taken their combined league goals tally for the season to 18, and having set each other up for those strikes, they now have nine assists between them as well.

Those contributions have helped Preston are currently in those play-off places despite scoring just four league goals through their centre forwards all season, and with Johnson and Barkhuizen in this sort of form - while being ably supported by the likes of Josh Harrop and Scott Sinclair - there should be a growing confidence they will have the firepower to push all the way in the race for a top-six spot.

Ben Pearson underlines his importance again

While it may have been Johnson and Barkhuizen who got the goals for Preston on Saturday, it was once again Ben Pearson who stood out for North End at the DW.

Not for the first time this season, the 25-year-old controlled proceedings in the centre of the park for his side, helping to nullify the threat of their hosts, while also playing a part for Preston going forward, not least in the build-up to his side's opener.

It was the type of performance that once again went to show how crucial Pearson can be to this side, and the fact he is able to do that on a regular basis, can only be a promising sign going forward.

They can negotiate tricky fixtures

Despite Wigan's lowly position at the start of play, this will not have been an easy task for Preston to face.

Not only were they up against a team battling for survival, but one that will have been brimming with confidence following back to back wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United in their last two games prior to this.

The fact therefore, that Preston were able to get this win shows they have the bottle to pick up the victories in difficult fixtures in a way that sides competing for promotion should do, with the fact they held firm after seeing their lead halved a particularly positive reflection on their resilience this season.