Alan Browne described taking six points from back-to-back Championship games as being ‘huge’, as the skipper led Preston North End to a terrific 3-2 win against Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The Lilywhites recovered brilliantly from the toughest of starts, with Josh Sargent’s second-minute opener overturned by two Emil Riis strikes either side of half-time, and Troy Parrott’s deflected cross won it late on after Gabriel Sara had briefly levelled.
Speaking to iFollow PNE post-match in East Anglia, he said: “We would have liked to have come here and kept a clean sheet, add to the tally of clean sheets, but goals is what we’ve been lacking all season and to come to a place like this and get three is massive for us.
“Hopefully the goals will continue to come. Emil’s finding that form from last season again and if he can keep firing us to wins like that, then brilliant, because we were getting a bit boring with the 0-0s and six points in a week is a good accumulation of points.
“It was tough the first ten, 15 minutes, they had a few chances – battered us to be fair and they could have been two or three up. We made a couple of tweaks within the team and got on top.
“We created a really good goal, then went in front, got knocked back again and eventually got the winner. It’s obviously pleasing for us to score three goals in one game, it’s been a while, so we’re happy with the goals and the three points.
“As long as we win, that’s all that matters, we’d take a 1-0 all day. Goals is what we’re lacking, so the more we can get and that can go with a win, the better.”
The No.8 soldiered on after being on the receiving end of a strong Sam Byram challenge to his shin in the first half, just after Riis’ first goal to equalise.
Browne explained that belief grew in the first half, but that it has always been in great supply throughout the season even amid several draws.
He continued: “We’ve always got that belief. Even when we were drawing, we still knew how good we were.
“We lost a couple of games, we bounced back, and I think we showed them a bit too much respect in the first ten to 15 minutes, because that’s where they probably dominated us.
“You come to a place like this where they’ve just been relegated and you don’t have to show them a bit of respect, but once we settled the nerves and started playing our own football, we got on top of it and that belief started to grow within the team and then obviously the goals help as well. All-round a pleasing afternoon.”
The midfielder is now hoping North End can carry some momentum into the midweek trip to Bristol City.
“It’s huge, six points in a week in this league is hard to come by. We don’t want to jinx it, but we’ve a pretty good history against Bristol City, so hopefully we go into that game full of confidence, full of belief and we’ll have to get the boys recovered well and right to go again.
“If we can get another point even on the board, then brilliant, but three points would be fantastic.”
Watch more from Browney on iFollow PNE.