PNE.Com speaks to Graham Westley after the final whistle against Yeovil Town.
“We will take who we get in the next round. We have no preference. Obviously we would love to be at home, but we could end up away. You do just take who you get and deal with it, get a plan in place and go out and win the game and make sure that we are in the Third Round.”The Preston manager was confident looking ahead to the Second Round draw on Sunday, claiming that it does not matter who the Lilywhites draw in the next round, their aim to reach the Third Round will stay the same.
“I do not think it is it too bad, but he was limping off so there is obviously something in there that needs a bit of work.”
“He got over it and trained Thursday and Friday and he felt good going into the game, but it has got the better of him, so he is probably going to be ruled out for 2-3 weeks now.
“Shane’s sore, he has tweaked his hamstring. It was tight at the beginning of the week.
“Credit to him for the work he has done whilst he has been injured, which has meant he has been able to come back so quickly.
“It was a big ask to put it on his body as he has only been back in training for a week, but he is delighted to have been involved and we are delighted to have him back involved.
“He’s got some soreness in his knee after going through those 20 minutes. He has had to have a lot of ice on it.
“He is just an intelligent lad and an intelligent player. He retains the ball for the team. All the lads are delighted to have him back. His return is a big boost.
“He is a high-quality player. We saw today in his brief cameo glimpses of his technical ability, his quality in possession of the ball and the threat he offers.
“It is going to take time to get Holmesy back playing,” said Westley. “I do not think I would have put him on with 20 minutes to go if the score-line had been anything other than 3-0.
It was a case of one in, one out for PNE, as Lee Holmes returned to first-team action for the first time in two-months after injury, whilst Shane Cansdell-Sherriff was forced to limp off early in the first half.
“Scott’s corner was well delivered, it was well-executed. Robbo arrived in the space we would have wanted him to arrive in and it is always nice to score from set-plays.”
“It is vital for any attacking player to feel that confidence that comes from scoring goals. Seeing your name on the score-sheet is always a bonus for you and gives you a big boost, so I am sure that David will go from strength to strength off the back of that now.
“Joel is a very high quality, technical player. He has got a nice calm head on him so when he is in that sort of situation, one-on-one with the keeper, then he is a difficult player to stop.
North End’s manager was also full of praise for his team’s goal-scorers after seeing both David Amoo and Chris Robertson score their first goals of the season, alongside Joel Byrom’s third strike for the Club.
“Yeovil were looking vulnerable on the counter attack and it was no surprise really that the first two goals came from counter-attacking situations. Both were very well taken by Joel and by David and both were very well created.”
Despite that, Westley was pleased to see his side make the most of a weakness they had highlighted in the Glovers’s team, with two of their goals coming from counter-attacking football.
“But we are a work in progress. We said that. We always knew we were going to take time to come together and learn each other’s ways, and we are in the second round despite that.”
“The lads know themselves, they are hanging their heads a little bit in the dressing room. They are not happy with the way they played but we have done the job, and that is, in the end, the important thing.
“Too often we allowed them to open us up when we had the defensive overload, so there is still work to do.”
“Both in defence and in possession I thought we were poor. Our defending left a bit to be desired. We were opened up too easily too often. We conceded chances we ought not to have conceded, and we gave the ball away too often when we did not have any real pressure on us.
“However, I did not like how we were playing at all. I do not think we deserved to go in at the break 2-0 up but you take it when it comes your way,” Westley continued.
“We have worked hard on our one-on-ones and unit defending, so to get a clean sheet, it feels like our week’s work has been worthwhile.
“We have not had enough clean sheets whilst I have been here. We have talked a lot this week about clean sheets.
“It was not the most convincing performance either in or out of possession but we did enough to do the job and put ourselves in the hat which is the important thing in the end,” said the PNE manager.
North End scored two goals in quick succession shortly before the interval, through Joel Byrom and David Amoo, his first for the Club, to go in at the break 2-0 up, before Chris Robertson added a third midway through the second half, but the Preston boss was left feeling unsatisfied with the unconvincing manner of his side’s victory.
Graham Westley was pleased to see his side keep in a clean sheet, but could not help feeling a little frustrated at his team’s performance, despite the Lilywhites claiming a 3-0 win over Yeovil Town, as they secured their path to the second round of the FA Cup.