First Team Coach David Unsworth took plenty of positives despite defeat for a young reserve side at Carlisle on Tuesday.

Unsworth admitted that his side were given a real physical battle against an experienced Carlisle United outfit, but it was a battle that his young players will learn plenty from.

He said: "For the young lads, the young scholars and the young pros it was a really good game for them today, they were up against a really physical, experienced Carlisle team, seven or eight of them from the first team.

"They got a real good footballing lesson, none of us ever want to get beat in games but sometimes you need to experience defeat in the manner that that was to learn, they were a lot stronger than us, just purely more physical than us and more experienced than our young pros."

North End were 2-0 down at the break but they put up a much better display in the second period and Unsworth was pleased with how his side reacted to his half-time teamtalk.

"We asked them for a reaction at half-time, we asked the young players to compete, it's something that we didn't do in the first half, you can't always play lovely silky soccer with one and two touch," said Unsworth

"We would all love to play like that and if we could the boys would be playing for Barcelona and we'd all be coaching and managing Barcelona because they are the best at it, we all aspire to be at that level, but we are not, we are at Preston and we are playing for Preston reserves against Carlisle. Today was about strength and battling and showing a bit of character. First half we came second in that department and the young players reacted to what we asked of them and we competed in that's all that we can ask, they were a big strong physical team.

One of the big positives from the match was another 90 minute run-out for summer signing Darel Russell, the midfielder edging ever closer to being in real contention for the first team.

"He's put a really good shift in and got 90 minutes under his belt," the reserves boss said.

"He was short on match fitness when he came Darel is a good lad, he'll be the first to admit that and he's gradually got better as the weeks have gone on, in terms of his fitness. He was encouraging the young lads today, he spoke at the end of the game to the younger lads, which is fantastic for Jamie and I to have such an experienced pro giving the boys pointers, instead of hearing the same old voices all the time.

" Darel said that sometimes you have got to match them for strength and for desire and commitment, you can't always win football matches in a pretty way, that was real football today, it was good."