Match winner Jack King was pleased to score the decisive goal as Preston North End beat Bristol City 1-0 at Deepdale.
King netted a 33rd minute header at the near post to hand the Lilywhites a vital victory which extends their unbeaten run to nine games.
“It was nice, it’s always nice to get a goal, especially playing at the back,” King told PNE.Com in an exclusive interview after the match.
“We made a bit of hard work of it in the end but we’ve got the three points and we ground out a good result.”
The win was North End’s first at Deepdale since September, when they beat Swindon Town 2-1, and the 28-year-old admits the players were relieved to finally secure three points on home soil.
“Yes, there’s a sigh of relief in there, especially after last weekend when we should have convincingly won and we didn’t,” he said.
“I think sometimes you might think being a goal up and not capitalising and not getting the second that the same thing might happen again.
“It wasn’t easy at times, they’re a good side, a better side than their league position states so it’s a good three points at the end.”
In the closing stages of the match Bristol City pushed hard for an equaliser but failed to breach a North End defence which has conceded just one goal in five games.
“They pushed four, five or six men forward at times but we defended resolutely,” King explained.
“We tend to defend well, we’re a big strong team and mentally strong and I don’t think we gave them too many chances really.”
Preston are now just six points behind Wolves and Leyton Orient in League One after the top two failed to pick up maximum points against Peterborough and Sheffield United respectively.
“We just need to keep going about our job, teams will drop points, no doubt about it, we’ll drop points,” he commented.
“But it’s just about being consistent, we need to put ourselves in the mix and kick on after Christmas.”
On a disappointing note, Paul Gallagher was sent off in the aftermath of an altercation with Bristol City’s Karleigh Osbourne, meaning he will miss North End’s next three games.
Bailey Wright will also be forced to serve a one match ban and miss Preston’s FA Cup second round tie away at Wycombe as a result of his fifth booking of the season.
“You’re always going to get it [suspensions] around this time but we’ve got a good squad, good strength-in-depth and no-doubt the people that step in will do a good job for us,” King said.