Yet Paul Heckingbottom’s side were appealing for a penalty inside the first two minutes when the ball appeared to hit Matt Targett’s hand.

Nothing was given and, shortly after, Boro were in their stride as Browne, a veteran of more than 400 games at Deepdale, was in acres of space to receive Targett’s fine pass and score his third in five matches to put his current club ahead.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder could have made it two, but the second did not take too long to arrive as Luke Ayling’s ball put Conway through and he did the rest.

Boro were completely dominant and that was given a further boost three minutes before the break when Lewis Gibson was dispossessed by Whittaker on the edge of the box and he mercilessly drilled it past Jack Walton for his 11th goal of the season.

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg had worried about the tight turnaround between playing at Stoke City on Wednesday night and this lunchtime kick-off, but he had no need to as the visitors’ misery continued.

Storey lost control of the ball when he was the last man and fouled Conway as North End had a player sent off for the second game in a row.

And when Walton pushed Leo Castledine’s free-kick back into the danger area, Boro’s number nine was quickest to react to make it four, as he scored twice in a game for the first time since November 2024.

The result matched Boro’s biggest win of the season, as they continue to push for a return to the Premier League for the first time in nine years.

However, this was Preston’s heaviest league defeat since December 2023, and they have lost all three games since first-choice goalkeeper Daniel Iversen picked up a groin injury in training, with his absence leaving a big hole.