U19s midfielder Ellis Horan was disappointed to see North End fall to a 4-2 defeat against Bolton Wanderers.
The Lilywhites led twice against the Trotters but four second-half goals from the hosts gave them the win in the Youth Alliance Cup tie.
Horan scored a fantastic goal to restore North End’s lead in the second half and felt his side would have won if they’d carried their first-half performance into the second.
Speaking to PNE.Com after the match, he said: “In the first half, I thought we were very good and showed a lot of character to go 1-0 up right before half-time.
“We played good football, won every tackle, every 50-50, second balls and I thought we needed to bring that into the second half. In the end, it was disappointing.”
The Trotters scored four second-half goals past Horan’s side and the midfielder felt that the player’s heads dropped, but despite the defeat, the 16-year-old was still relatively pleased with his individual performance.
“In the first half, I felt I was getting on the ball a lot and it was very good,” he said.
“Maybe in the second half, I could have got on the ball more, but I was pleased to score and thought I still worked hard to win every tackle and tried getting the team going.
“I think I had a very important role, protecting the back four and getting on the ball and playing forward. I enjoy playing there as it allows me to develop as a player.”