John Dreyer was more than happy with the way North End went about their business at Irongate as the Lilywhites beat Bamber Bridge 6-0.
In their second match in two days against local non-league opposition, the visitors knocked the ball around well for the entirety of the match, scoring six goals to boot, but it was the work ethic of the squad that pleased Dreyer most.
Speaking after the match, the first team coach said: “That was a decent work out tonight and it served its purpose.
“In pre-season games I never get carried away by scorelines and such like, but I thought the lads worked genuinely hard and worked hard for each other so it was good, really pleased.”
On a dry, sticky surface, North End went ahead with their first meaningful attack when Ryan Thompson turned the ball into his own goal before Joe Garner doubled Preston’s advantage.
After the break Joel Byrom scored his second in as many days before Garner grabbed his second, quickly followed by a John Mousinho strike.
Bailey Wright grabbed a late sixth for North End, but despite being full of praise for his players – in particular Garner and Byrom, Dreyer was quick to remind everyone as to what the main purpose of the contest was and where the Lilywhites are in terms of their pre-season schedule.
He continued: “We have also got to put things in perspective, we are only two and a bit weeks into our pre-season and we don’t want to get carried away.
“We would like to be positive in every game that we play in and win every game that we play in but it is what it is.
“It is a pre-season and we are there to get fitness and we are there to get match sharpness and that will come over a period of time.
“We want to put on a good show, we want to have a good work out.
“Pre-season’s purpose is to get fit for the first game of the season so these games will just help in that process.
“I am pleased he scored,” added Dreyer when asked about Garner’s contribution to the evening.
“He probably missed a couple of changes were he would have been disappointed that he did miss them but he has got two goals, I thought he might have actually got a third but I have been told that it was an own goal.
“I think when he is in the box and he is arriving, because he has very, very good movement, he is a real threat.”
And as for Byrom, “Joel is becoming prolific!” Chuckled Dreyer. “Obviously he hit a free kick that hit the crossbar in the first half, but I thought it was a fantastically well taken goal.
“He has got an eye for goal, he probably doesn’t shoot as much as he should, he is more of a creator than a goalscorer.
“Maybe he will take a few more chances that do come his way in the future because he is a good finisher.”
A full interview with John Dreyer reflecting on North End’s win, plus the thoughts of full back David Buchanan will be on PNE Player on Thursday morning.