Man of the match Ben Whiteman said it was an “amazing feeling” to come out on top in the West Lancashire derby, speaking to iFollow after Preston North End’s 3-1 victory over Blackpool.
The midfielder’s precisely placed free-kick in the 26th minute put his side two goals to the good and ultimately helped North End get revenge over their fiercest rivals.
It was Whiteman’s first goal since netting in the 4-1 win against Blackburn Rovers in December - another impressive derby performance.
“It’s an amazing feeling to beat our local rivals 3-1,” said Ben. “We started the game really well and it was an unbelievable strike from Pottsy. That’s what you want – to get the first goal in a local derby.
“For my goal, I saw the goalkeeper far over on his side and I thought, ‘why not?’ and luckily it went in.
“Scoring straight after half-time kills the game and when TC [Tom Cannon] gets a chance, you know it’s going to be a goal.
"I thought he was outstanding today and thoroughly deserved his goal."
The central midfielder, who was named the EPIC Risk Management man of the match for his performance, was full of praise for the North End faithful and their vociferous support throughout the afternoon.
He said: “There is an added incentive in these kind of games and we could feel the energy in the crowd.
“The supporters were a big help today and it was an amazing feeling celebrating with them at full-time.
“You don’t get these moments very often in your career, so it was a special day.”
North End are next in action on Good Friday when they head down to London to take on Gareth Ainsworth's Queens Parks Rangers.
“It’s a quick turnaround for us with two games Friday-Monday,” said Ben. “We can’t take our foot off the gas but we’ll definitely enjoy tonight and then back in on Monday!”