Jason Scotland got his Wigan Athletic career off to a flyer at Deepdale, coming off the bench to score his first goal for the club and set up another as Roberto Martinez's men ran riot against Preston North End.
The Trinidad & Tobago striker pouncing on a Michael Brown shot parried by the keeper and slotting into the bottom left-hand corner.
It was a bit of a role reversal in truth as moments earlier Scotland had set-up Brown on the edge of the box to put Latics 3-0 up.
Martinez really did get it spot on against the Championship side with his team, sporting this season's new orange away kit, controlling the game from start to finish.
His first-half team set up with attack in mind, Hugo Rodallega backed up by Charles N'Zogbia, the talismanic Jordi Gomez and Daniel de Ridder, who collectively fluctuated the pace of the game in Preston's half.
Lee Cattermole showed there's more to his game than charging down players, as he controlled the majority of the game, pinging balls out left and right, and creating some really positive passages of play.
It was one such ball that brought on the opening goal, playing the unstoppable N'Zogbia down the right-wing. The Frenchman cut back onto his left-foot and swung a cross in for Rodallega to head home.
Moments later N'Zogbia doubled the lead, picking up the ball in the same area, riding two challenges and slotting the ball into the bottom left corner for a really smart finish.
The second-half set-up with five in the middle looking to support the lone Scotland, and it worked well in bringing about another goal as well as dominating territory in the middle of the park.
Neil Mellor did squeeze an equaliser late on to bring some joy to the home crowd, but by then the 1000 or so travelling Latics fans were singing about their new hero up front.
Preston North End 1
Mellor, 86
Wigan Athletic 4
Rodallega 36
N'Zogbia 38
Brown 48
Scotland 78
Latics: Kirkland; Melchiot, Bramble (Scharner, 45), Boyce, Figueroa (Edman, 45); Cattermole (Watson, 78), Thomas (Cho, 45); de Ridder (Brown, 45), Gomez, N'Zogbia (Bouaouzan, 45); Rodallega (Scotland, 45)
Subs: Pollitt, Routledge, Holt, Cywka, Kupisz
Preston: Henderson (Lonergan); Hart, Trotman, Chilvers, Nolan (Davidson); Nicholson, Carter, Jones, Wallace (Sedgwick); Brown (Parkin), Elliott (Mellor)
Subs: Chaplow, Hawley