Stoke City returned to winning ways at home as they extended Championship bottom club Preston North End's miserable start to the season.

After being beaten in the last minute by leaders Middlesbrough, the Potters were then held by Bristol City in last weekend's Storm Boelo-ravaged goalless draw and had not won at home since 19 September.

But American midfielder Jack McGlynn got Stoke back on course when he set up Ben Wilmot's first-half header before adding the second goal himself six minutes into the second half - and the Potters safely earned their third straight clean sheet.

North End remain adrift at the foot of the table, having picked up only one point out of a possible 21 away from home, and are six points from safety as they start to become detached.

Stoke took until the 29th minute to go in front when McGlynn's left-foot right-wing corner was only half cleared and, when it came back to him, he swung over another inswinging cross with his left foot and Wilmot rose highest at the back post to find the opposite right corner with a firm, well-placed header.

That half-time lead could have been doubled when North End keeper Daniel Iversen was caught stranded as he attempted to come out to intercept Ethan Galbraith's cross, and Wilmot's fellow centre-half partner Luke Graham's header hit the outside of the post.

But, in the 53rd minute it was 2-0 when Galbraith laid the ball back for August deadline day signing McGlynn's left foot to register his third goal in seven games.

It could have been more, especially when Iversen made a desperate save to deny Justin Devenny.

But the two goals were more than enough to see off a poor Preston side, who failed to register a single effort on target and already look in big trouble.

The September sacking of Paul Heckingbottom has so far had little effect and his replacement Graham Alexander has picked up just one point from his five games in charge.

Just five points (and one win) from their first 13 games by Halloween is a rather scary prospect.

Stoke's fourth home league win of the season came at a cost, with a fifth booking of the campaign for Northern Irishman Galbraith, who will now miss Tuesday's trip to Blackburn Rovers.

That is the first of successive away games ahead of the international break, with Portsmouth at Fratton Park to come next Saturday.

Preston have two more meetings on the agenda with teams in red and white stripes – as both Sheffield United and Southampton make trips to Deepdale.

The Blades are there on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT) followed by the in-form Saints next Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Stoke City boss Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke:

"They're a side that try to disrupt you, to break your flow. We wanted a bit of rhythm and it was really in the second half that things started to change round for us.

"We've got to be happy with the performance overall and the result. There was a lot to like about it. But we'd have been even happier if we had been more clinical.

"There was nothing in the game for 29 minutes, but Ben Wilmot's goal changed that. It was a great header. And, from there, we grew in confidence.

"We learnt a little bit ourselves again. There's some good quality there. We're starting to look dangerous and hopefully we'll get better and better."

Preston North End boss Graham Alexander told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"The game has gone away from us in the second half. In the first half we were really competitive, up until the first goal, which was obviously a turning point.

"It wasn't as if they cut us open. We don't defend a throw-in in the final third, we give a corner away and in the second phase we're just not there to compete for the header.

"At half time the players went out in determined fashion to get back into the game but the second goal opens us up for the rest of the game.

"We tried to put attacking players on but, by that point, Stoke were too mentally confident, too strong for us."