Preston North End

Speaking to PNE Player he said that his side are still learning each other’s game and trying to build an understanding of what each other can do, but is looking to return to the Club to place where its fans can be proud of it again.

“We’re talking about putting the pride back into Preston,” he said. “What the fans will have seen there, on a very difficult surface, where it was feisty was the lads showing a good competitiveness, playing some decent football, some intelligent football and but for a lack of a bit of clinicality, we could easily have run out big winners.

“You can’t run non league teams into the ground at this stage of the season, because by the time 50 minutes has gone and their legs have gone, they just bring on a whole new set of players. We’d normally expect to come strong and kick on then, but that doesn’t happen. It was a good test of character and we stood up well.

“When we get into league action, when individual players are fit and by the time players have a better understanding of each other.”

The pitch at Bamber Bridge was not conducive to passing football, but the PNE chief was pleased with the way his side coped with the conditions: “It was a very difficult surface to play on and difficult to work the football, although we did dominate possession. 

“I thought we played some intelligent football under the conditions. We had to go back to front a little bit and get them turned and we didn’t manage to convert our play in the final third into the goals our play probably deserved, but there were a lot of positives there tonight.

“You can fail to understand at the moment that all the understandings of what players can and can’t do well aren’t there and that is happening all over the park and our play in the final third didn’t come to enough, but that is all a part of pre-season.”

There’ll be more from the manager and reaction from Chris Robertson on PNE Player on Tuesday, with highlights from the QED Stadium following on Wednesday.