Preston North End manager Simon Grayson was delighted with the bright start and reaction from his players in Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Chesterfield.
Jermaine Beckford’s 13th goal of the season was enough to separate the sides after a resolute defensive display from the all yellow Lilywhites, giving PNE a slim advantage ahead of the League One Play-Off semi-final second leg at Deepdale on Sunday.
And Grayson was pleased with the attitude and response from his troops following Sunday’s disappointment.
He said: “We knew we had to start the game brightly. We had to make sure we stopped the opposition from playing and getting into a routine because if they do that they can hurt you.
“But also they would get the crowd up and us making a good start knocks the stuffing out of the crowd.
“We are delighted with the response from the players; I thought there were some good performances but most notably a good team performance.
“They worked extremely hard after a bit of criticism at the weekend and rightly so and obviously we are delighted that we have a goal advantage going into the second leg.
You can watch the full interview with Simon Grayson on PNE Player now by clicking here.