In his post-match press conference, Graham Westley gave his thoughts from today’s game at Walsall...
“We were not developing any sustained possession, we went onto the back foot and the goalkeeper made several very good saves to keep us alive with a 1-0 lead.
Handing the credit over to Dean Smith’s side, Westley said: “Walsall were bright, they were purposeful and they were ready for the surface that we played on and they deserved the victory.
The Lilywhites fell to a 3-1 defeat against Walsall, even though they took an early lead courtesy of a superb goal on the run of play from Joel Byrom, his second in as many games.
Preston North End manager Graham Westley admitted after the final whistle that the better team won on Saturday afternoon at the Banks’s Stadium.
Handing the credit over to Dean Smith’s side, Westley said: “Walsall were bright, they were purposeful and they were ready for the surface that we played on and they deserved the victory.
The Lilywhites fell to a 3-1 defeat against Walsall, even though they took an early lead courtesy of a superb goal on the run of play from Joel Byrom, his second in as many games.
Preston North End manager Graham Westley admitted after the final whistle that the better team won on Saturday afternoon at the Banks’s Stadium.
“Every now and then learning can bite you and today was certainly not a good day, we are all honest people and we will take a long look in the mirror and I am sure we will bounce back.”
“These early weeks I always expected as the expectation around our Club builds that we need to be patient with the players because they have got a lot of learning to do.
“It makes you think about whom you have put together and what combinations you have used, home and away you have to learn about your players. Our knowledge and evolution will change by the day and by the week.
“I have been constant in my views, when you bring a lot together there are going to be hiccups along the way and we have pulled a lot together. I am learning about the players and they are learning about each other and every now and then you will get a selection that doesn’t work out for you.
He continued: “Paul Huntington has missed training all week, he went out today but he has had a niggle which has kept him out all week and when we decided to make a change to bring on an offensive player for a defensive player, he was the obvious one.
With players still in the learning process, the boss has called for patience and admits it will take time before they are a completed article.
With Chris Beardsley expected to be out for the next seven days, Beavon started up front as lone striker.
Following Tuesday’s empathic win over Hartlepool United, the boss made two changes welcoming Paul Huntington and John Mousinho into his starting 11 after a spell on the sidelines.
“Stuart Beavon, in terms of his strengths, he is great off the shoulder but he is not a ball securer so we made the change to bring Akpo Sodje on to try and hold the ball up better when we kicked back to front. But it wasn’t an affective change but I thought it was a necessary one.
“There are times where you play away from home where you want to secure the ball in forward areas having gone back to front.
“They were putting a lot of high pressure on us, they were stopping us from getting out from the back and we were delivering a lot from back to front.
“We needed to make changes to the way that we were playing to try and keep Walsall at bay because whatever we did they kept on passing the ball, they were brighter and more energetic. They gave us problems all afternoon.
“These early weeks I always expected as the expectation around our Club builds that we need to be patient with the players because they have got a lot of learning to do.
“It makes you think about whom you have put together and what combinations you have used, home and away you have to learn about your players. Our knowledge and evolution will change by the day and by the week.
“I have been constant in my views, when you bring a lot together there are going to be hiccups along the way and we have pulled a lot together. I am learning about the players and they are learning about each other and every now and then you will get a selection that doesn’t work out for you.
He continued: “Paul Huntington has missed training all week, he went out today but he has had a niggle which has kept him out all week and when we decided to make a change to bring on an offensive player for a defensive player, he was the obvious one.
With players still in the learning process, the boss has called for patience and admits it will take time before they are a completed article.
With Chris Beardsley expected to be out for the next seven days, Beavon started up front as lone striker.
Following Tuesday’s empathic win over Hartlepool United, the boss made two changes welcoming Paul Huntington and John Mousinho into his starting 11 after a spell on the sidelines.
“Stuart Beavon, in terms of his strengths, he is great off the shoulder but he is not a ball securer so we made the change to bring Akpo Sodje on to try and hold the ball up better when we kicked back to front. But it wasn’t an affective change but I thought it was a necessary one.
“There are times where you play away from home where you want to secure the ball in forward areas having gone back to front.
“They were putting a lot of high pressure on us, they were stopping us from getting out from the back and we were delivering a lot from back to front.
“We needed to make changes to the way that we were playing to try and keep Walsall at bay because whatever we did they kept on passing the ball, they were brighter and more energetic. They gave us problems all afternoon.