Wrexham eased the pressure on Phil Parkinson with a 4-1 Sky Bet Championship win over rock-bottom Preston.
Joe Worrall scored his first goal in more than two years and, after Alfie Devine briefly brought Preston level, former Lilywhites midfielder Ben Whiteman struck next to score his first goal in Wrexham colours.
Sam Smith gave the hosts breathing space just before the hour and Kieffer Moore killed it off moments later.
In a week that had seen former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard linked with the manager's job, Wrexham's third league win of the season was a vital one as they moved up to 14th.
But Preston remain stuck on four points from 11 games, with Graham Alexander having lost his first three games in charge.
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Parkinson got a big show of support from the home fans before kick-off but his side started on the back foot, with Worrall heading Odel Offiah's lobbed effort off the line before Andrew Hughes headed narrowly wide.
Parkinson had made four changes, bringing in Smith to add more firepower, but it took some time for them to start to put any pressure on struggling Preston.
Callum O'Hare's stabbed effort was pushed around the post by Daniel Iversen and Smith had a low shot saved before the breakthrough came from an unlikely source.
Worrall, a summer signing from Burnley, had not scored since a late winner for Besiktas against Rizespor in May 2024, but the big defender rose highest to head in Danny Imray's curled cross on his home debut.
That was a little bit of unwanted history for Preston, who equalled a club record set in 1969-70 for the longest run of league matches without a clean sheet at 26.
But Wrexham have been struggling at the back themselves this term, with their only clean sheet coming in a goalless draw with Swansea, and five minutes later the visitors were level.
Moore lost possession in midfield and Preston quickly worked it wide to Johnny Kenny. His angled shot was deflected but the ball fell for Devine who made no mistake for his first goal since March - and Preston's first since Alexander took over last month.
Wrexham's second was a painful one for the visitors. Imray's cross was only half-cleared and fell for former Preston man Whiteman to hit a low shot which left Iversen wrong-footed and the midfielder almost apologetically celebrating.
O'Hare might have killed it in first-half stoppage time as he burst into the box but his close-range shot was blocked.
Preston had chances to get back into it early in the second half but Brad Potts, just on as a substitute, missed the target at the end of a sweeping counter.
That quickly proved costly as Smith headed in Whiteman's corner moments later, with Moore then ending the contest as he flicked in Callum Doyle's low free-kick.
The managers
Wrexham's Phil Parkinson:
"I thought the lads stood up and were counted today individually and collectively.
"A lot of really solid performances from the lads.
"It was great to get back in with the lads on Thursday, galvanise the group, and look at the detail of where we needed to improve, and I thought the lads implemented (it) so well.
"I could go through a lot of individuals who I'm so pleased with, because we showed character, we showed mentality. It's an important win for us."
Preston's Graham Alexander:
"We just conceded goals that we shouldn't. And I think if you look at the opportunities we had, certainly at the start of the second half when it was 2-1, if we take one of those it's potentially a different game.
"But we've got a little bit of a soft spot at the moment that gets exposed at this level and we have to work out how to fix it.
"I haven't got magic dust. We have to work. But I still think there's improvements and I have to look at whether I'm asking too much of the players at this moment considering where we are."
What the result means and next fixtures...
- Championship fixtures