Preston North End moved to the top of the Championship by beating Charlton Athletic 1-0 at the Valley today, which has drawn some excited responses from fans of the club. 

There has been lots of speculation about the future of Preston boss Alex Neil over the past few days, with some reports suggesting he was set to leave the club to join Stoke City.

Ahead of the game, the Scottish manager dismissed those rumours and there was more joy for fans of the club on the pitch, as his side proved too much for the Addicks.

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The Whites generated plenty of chances and were in the ascendancy for much of the game but for just under an hour they were unable to break through Charlton's resolute defence.

However, they were gifted a golden opportunity in the 58th minute as Jason Pearce brought down Jayden Stockley in the hosts' penalty area.

Paul Gallagher made no mistake from the spot, hammering his penalty into the bottom corner to give Preston the lead and add his third goal of the season.

The result sees Neil's side climb to the top of the Championship, however, that may be short-lived as West Bromwich Albion face Stoke City tomorrow evening.

For the time being, many Preston fans appear pleased about their place at the top and took to Twitter to express their excitement.

Read the reaction of supporters of the North West club here: