Reading fell foul of another late, late goal awayfrom home to be denied anything from Deepdale - when Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan looked like he had salvaged a point for the visitors.
The first chance of the game fell to the hosts. Andrew Hughes found some space on the left and whipped in a lovely cross that Brad Potts met at the near post but directed over the Royals’ crossbar.
Approaching a quarter of an hour gone and a cross from the right this time was met by the swinging right boot of Lindsay at the front post but it was charged down by a Royals defender and the danger cleared.
Nesta Guinness-Walker took Reading’s first short at goal from a long way out and it sailed harmlessly over, while the home side came closest when a Yiadom pass behind Casadei was pounced upon in midfield and Preston broke at pace with Tom Cannon rifling a low effort inches wide of the bottom left corner.
On the half hour mark, Reading worked the ball well from the back but Loum’s pass looking for the free Hendrick was overhit and an opportunity to threaten the North End defence disappeared.
Moments later, Cannon threatened to break the deadlock at the other end, this time drilling just wide of the bottom right corner from a good position on the right side of the Reading area.
Andy Carroll got on the end of a good Guinness-Walker cross into the box, but he couldn’t direct his header on target. Potts did arrow an effort on target at the other end though, but Guinness-Walker was there to charge it down.
And from the resultant corner, somehow Reading kept it out. A right-footed half-volley from 10 yards out cannoned into a crowd of bodies and Guinness-Walker was there to swipe it clear off his goalline.
Some nice play between Yiadom and Joao saw the ball fed into the latter’s feet inside the box. A couple of nice dummies afforded Joao the yard he needed to get a shot away, but his effort was charged down before Woodman could be tested.
And after a speculative shot from range for the home side deflected wide off Scott Dann, the rest of the first half played out without real incident. Level at the break.
HALF TIME: Preston 0-0 Reading
Joe Lumley got a bit lucky when he spilled a cross from deep and it almost dropped for Cannon, but the ball ricocheted off the Preston striker and back into the grateful body of Lumley.
Reading were pressing a little higher up the pitch, but it took a foul from Sarr – who was carded – to prevent the home side from breaking to good effect. And from the resultant free-kick, Whiteman slid in at the back post to nearly keep alive a deep Fernandez delivery.
Appeals for a penalty when Troy Parrott went down in the Reading box under pressure from Holmes were waved away. And Preston were getting closer to the opener when a combination of Carroll and Lumley scrambled the ball behind for a corner.
And, moments later, Cannon did find the back of the net. Preston made progress down the left and a low ball into the feet of Cannon 12 yards out saw the striker control the ball and lash right-footed into the back of the net for 1-0.
Reading thought they had levelled minutes later when Casadei’s floated free kick was headed into the box by Holmes and flicked on by Sarr for Scott Dann to prod home from close range. But the offside flag was raised against the Royals centre-back.
Lumley gobbled up an effort from Potts who had collected a squared free kick and rifled an effort goalwards. And Lumley was in action again, coming off his line quickly and out of his area to slide at the feet of Cannon to clear the danger.
Lumley produced a fine one-handed save to deny Cannon a second of the afternoon as the North End man burst through the middle and got away from Holmes to race through on goal.
And with 20 minutes remaining, Ince made a triple change – bringing on Azeez, Ehibhatiomhan and Fornah in an attempt to change things.
But it was Yiadom who had to do some excellent covering defending to prevent a second when the ball was fizzed in low from the right.
Azeez found some space to run into with ten minutes remaining and he fed Ehibhatiomhan on the right side of the box, but his cross couldn’t pick out a Reading body in the box.
Hendrick took aim from 25 yards out and struck a sweet effort that Woodman had to push around the base of his right post. And Woodman was in action again to finger tip clear an inswinging Fornah corner.
And the substitutions did make an impact when Reading drew level with eight minutes remaining. A long throw from the right was flicked on by Ehibhatiomhan and the ball floated over everyone and dropped inside the right post to make it 1-1.
Suddenly, the Royals were looking for a winner. Yiadom fed Azeez down the right flank and his cross towards Fornah was recycled. It was crossed into the middle and Woodman had to punch it off the forehead of Ehibhatiomhan.
But it took a wonderful save from Lumley to deny Potts the winner soon after. A scuffed shot from distance fell kindly for Potts to controlled and shot in one fluid movement, but somehow Lumley clawed the ball away when it seemed destined for the back of the net.
Four minutes of injury time were signalled and in the second of those, Preston found a winner. An inswinging corner from the right was headed back from the byline and Potts was there to loop a header home from close range.
Azeez nearly made it 2-2 still - jinking inside the area and getting a shot away only for it to be charged down. Then the resultant corner dropped for Yiadom to hit it - but his volleyed effort squired just wide of the bottom right corner.
Reading had fallen foul of yet another late, late goal and left Deepdale with nothing to show for their efforts.
Full-time: Preston 2-1 Reading
Preston North End: Woodman, Fernandez, Whiteman, Lindsay, Johnson (c), Storey, Parrott (Brady 89), Hughes, Onomah (Woodburn 72), Cannon, Potts.
Subs not used: Bauer, Ledson, Diaby, Cornell, Slater.
Yellow: Potts
Goals: Cannon 55, Potts 90
Reading: Lumley, Yiadom (c), Guinness-Walker, Sarr, Holmes (Azeez 71), Dann, Hendrick, Casadei, Loum (Fornah 71), Carroll (Ehibhatiomhan 72), Joao.
Subs not used: Boyce-Clarke, Abrefa, Mbengue, Craig.
Yellow: Sarr, Mbengue, Dann.
Goals: Ehibhatiomhan 82