PNE.Com speaks to goal scorer Graham Cummins after the draw against Coventry
Reflecting on the performance for a final time, Cummins reiterated his belief that North End have to build on today’s performance, starting with Tuesday’s game, if they are to make any further progress this season.
“It was just massive cramp all in my hamstrings and in my calves, everything. I used to get it a lot before, but it was just cramp. That’s all, nothing serious, just bad cramp.”
Cummins had to be withdrawn in the dying minutes and was seen to be limping heavily as he left the pitch, but the Irishman played down any fears of injury and insisted he should be fine to lead the line again if required on Tuesday.
“I don’t think Ben is going to come up against a better player than Baker for the rest of the year. He was fantastic up against him and he capped it off by getting man of the match. I’m delighted for the two lads that came in and long may it continue.”
“I think the two debutants were fantastic today,” he said. “Connolly brought maturity to the position that maybe we have been missing for a while since Keano got injured. He was fantastic there. He knows the game well and he read it really well today.
Paul Connolly and 17-year-old Ben Davies both made their debuts for North End at right back and left back respectively during the game, and Cummins was full of praise for his two new team mates, stating that he believes that it is only the beginning for the pair.
“It would have been nice to win but we’ll take the draw. Now we just need to kick on here on Tuesday.”
“Even after we fell behind I felt we still looked like a team who come from behind and win the game.
“After the last couple of games we’ve had at Deepdale we’ve crumbled a bit, so it was good to get the equaliser.
“It was good to come from behind to get the draw, but it would have been nicer to come from behind to get a win. I should have scored the winner late on but I was suffering with cramp at the time. These things happen in football,” said the Irishman.
Having been knocked out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy by the Sky Blues, Cummins admitted it was nice to come from behind to snatch the draw today, although he was disappointed not to end up on the winning side, after missing a late chance to give his side the lead.
“If you keep crossing balls into the box, getting it into the danger area, you know you’re going to score goals from it. It worked out well.”
“We emphasised that we needed to get crosses into the box this week and we scored two from it today, so long may it continue.
“King’s a good player to play with because he’s a big man up there who’s easy to link up with, while Jeff’s delivery into the box is always fantastic.
“It’s funny how things work out in football,” the 25-year-old said after the game. “The Gaffer changed our shape so Kingy came up front with me, and as a result we got two goals from it.
With PNE struggling to threaten in attack, the Preston boss, pushed Jeffrey Monakana outwide to his favoured right-wing position, allowing Jack King to support Cummins in attack, and it was a decision which turned the game, as North End’s opener came from a Monakana cross, before Nicky Wroe volleyed home the equaliser from King’s knockdown, a decision that drew praise from Cummins.
North End were second best before the majority of the first, prompting a tactical re-shuffle from manager Graham Westley, which paid dividends almost immediately as the Irishman poked home to give Preston the lead against the run of play.
Graham Cummins praised the manner in which Preston North End came from behind to draw against Coventry, before insisting how vital it is for the Lilywhites to build on their performance against Crawley Town on Tuesday night.