Preston North End striker Neil Mellor admits that gifting Reading a two-goal start was the ultimate price to pay following the defeat on Tuesday night.

The Lilywhites went in to a surprise 2-0 defecit at the break against Brendan Rodgers' Royals and despite a second half fightback they could not get the goals required to get a share of the points.

Mellor said: "It was a very disappointing result, these are games that we want to be winning if we want to be up and amongst the Play-Offs. The first half display was disappointing and the Gaffer made us aware of that, I thought second half was a spirited performance. The fans clapped us off at the end because they had seen how much hard work we had put in in the second half. But the most important thing is the result and we didn't get that and that's bitterly disappointing.

"If you are going to give teams a two goal start you are going to get punished for it. In the end we have huffed and puffed and we tested the keeper, we hit the bar, hit the post but if you are giving a team a two goal start then it is going to be difficult."

The Lilywhites must now look to Saturday and another huge game at Deepdale when the Lilywhites know that a win against West Brom will take them into the automatic promotion places.

"It's a tough game on Saturday, West Brom are flying this season and we are going to have to bounce back as quickly as we can," the Preston striker added.