Nottingham Forest stretch their unbeaten run to 14 games after an excellent display of football which saw them dominate for much of the game.

It was a magnificent first half from Forest who controlled the game from the outset and had nine shots on target, converting two of those into goals.

The second half was more evenly matched, but Forest defended well to keep another clean sheet and finished off a great performance with a third goal.

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Forest made a positive start, having much of the possession and forcing Preston on the defensive from the outset.

Forest created a good chance in the sixth minute when Paul McKenna played the ball in to Dele Adebola inside the box and Neill Collins had to stretch out his leg to put the ball out for a corner.

A well-taken corner by Radoslaw Majewski found Wes Morgan, making his 300^th appearance for the club, but his header near the far post was just the wrong side of the post and went into the side netting.

Forest took the lead in the 16^th minute following a corner from Chris Cohen. The ball was punched away by Andy Lonergan, but only as far as Paul McKenna who sent the ball flying into the top left corner from 25 yards out. It was the Forest captain's first for the club, but he held back from celebrating the goal against his former club.

Robert Earnshaw had the ball in the back of the net not long after but the linesman's flag was up for offside.

And Earnshaw was on target a minute later with a shot from 30 yards, but it was a comfortable save for Lonergan.

Forest went two up 25 minutes from a beautiful ball in from Nicky Shorey which went diagonally across the face of goal to Dele Adebola who volleyed in with his left foot from six yards out.

Preston squandered a chance when Chris Brown held the ball up for Richard Chaplow, who got past Kelvin Wilson but sent the ball well wide of Lee Camp's left hand post.

And Ross Wallace came close with a shot from the right which looked like it might have been meant as a cross but, with nobody there, the ball just scraped wide of the far post.

Forest had another chance eight minutes from half time when an unmarked Majewski hit the ball with pace from 25 yards out on the left wing and sent it curling just wide of the far post.

And Majewski created a chance for Paul Anderson who went one on one with the Preston keeper and drilled in a shot from 12 yards which Lonergan was only able to parry away.

Lee Camp made his first real save of the half just a minute from half time when Forest failed to clear. The ball fell to Billy Jones, whose effort saw the Forest keeper dive away to his right to make a spectacular save.

Preston started the second half on the attack but, when Chaplow made the break his cross went over.

Forest threatened with a good break, with Majewski sending the ball wide right to Anderson but his cross was poor. The ball came out to Chris Cohen but his effort from 25 yards went wide of the post.

And when Cohen fizzed the ball in to Earnshaw, his effort forced Lonergan to dive and palm the ball away, but the offside flag was up in any case.

Preston made a double substitution, bringing on two strikers just before the hour mark as they still struggled to get anything inside the Forest box.

But they had a chance soon after when substitute Jon Parkin held the ball up well before playing it to Wallace on the left. His cross picked out the other substitute Neil Mellor, but he volleyed over the crossbar.

Garath McCleary came on for Majewski with 20 minutes remaining.

Preston had their best period of the game in terms of pressure, but when Wallace sent the ball flying in from 25 yards out but, with Camp rooted to the spot, the ball ran just wide of the post.

Good work by Cohen and Earnshaw created Forest's first real chance of the half but Earnshaw's effort from inside the box was well blocked by Lonergan and the ball was cleared away by Liam Chilvers.

Earnshaw was replaced soon after, with Lewis McGugan taking his place.

McCleary took a chance with a shot from 35 yards out but it was a fairly easy save for Lonergan.

But it was the second substitute, McGugan who got the third goal to put the game out of Preston's reach. Shorey fed the ball sideways to McGugan and he made his way past three defenders before sending the ball under the Preston keeper.

Forest were not satisfied with three goals and a stoppage time effort from long range by McGugan went just wide of the post, but Lonergan had it covered.

Nottingham Forest: Camp, Gunter, Morgan, Wilson, Shorey, Anderson(Tyson, 83min, McKenna(C), Majewski(McCleary 69min), Cohen, Earnshaw(McGugan 78min) , Adebola
Subs not used: Smith, Chambers, Blackstock, McGoldrick
Scorers: McKenna 16min, Adebola 25min, McGugan 82min

Preston North End: Lonergan, Davidson(C)(Nolan 83min) Collins Chilvers, Jones, Sedgwick, Tonge, Chaplow, Parry(Mellor 59min), Wallace, Brown(Parkin 59min)
Subs not used: Hart, Shumulikoski, Carter, Henderson,
Bookings: Wallace 54min

Referee: F Graham
Attendance: 21,582 away attn: 563