Sepp van den Berg felt PNE’s second half performance against Birmingham City was “just not good enough” as the Lilywhites were made to settle for a point.
North End went into the break with a one-goal lead courtesy of Patrick Bauer, but they were pegged back in the final five minutes of the game as Scott Hogan headed home an equaliser.
That came after PNE had created a fair few chances of their own, so Sepp was left frustrated when concentration was lost for the goal which cost the team two points.
Speaking to iFollow after the game, Sepp said: “First half I think we played well. I don’t think they really created any chances, but second half we lacked maybe some bravery to play out from the back.
“We basically kicked only long balls and then again you have to score those chances you create, but you know with the players they have when it’s only 1-0 they’re going to push people forward, put crosses in the box and you know they’re going to be hard to mark.
“Defensively the goal was just not good enough, so overall I don’t think it was good enough today, especially the second half.”
Going forward, North End had opportunities at 1-0 to extend their lead, with breaks being led by the likes of Emil Riis and Brad Potts, but that final pass just evaded the home side.
If that second goal had come for PNE, Sepp feels that they would have had all the momentum and gone on to manage the game.
He said: “When you go 2-0 up they have to push even more and you create even more space to create another goal.
“Of course if it gets to 2-0 or even 3-0, they’re probably going to have less belief than they have when it’s still 1-0.
“So it’s a big difference when it’s 2-0 at 60 [minutes] and maybe 3-0 at 70 [minutes], then you can see the game out, but if it stays 1-0 it’s going to be always a risky one.”
The draw to Birmingham means the Lilywhites have taken seven points from the nine games which manager Ryan Lowe has taken charge of, and they’ll have another chance to take more in just a few days.
Sepp added: “We have a game again on Tuesday, a tough opponent to be fair in Sheffield United.
“We’ll play at home again so it’s another night – very cliché – but just to bounce back and get the win, and then keep us going because we’ve done well.
“We’re still unbeaten [in the league] since the new gaffer came in so we just want to keep it going, so we go again on Tuesday.”
Hear more from Sepp in his full interview on iFollow PNE.