Manager Ryan Lowe felt his side earned a well-deserved point after coming back from a goal down with ten men to draw 1-1 at home to Luton Town.
Ben Whiteman was shown a straight red card in the 50th minute and the visitors made their man advantage count when Carlton Morris opened the scoring on 73 minutes.
North End got themselves level, though, with nine minutes left on the clock, as Troy Parrott earned his side a penalty before stepping up himself to fire beyond the goalkeeper.
Ryan told iFollow PNE: “I thought it was a hard-earned point, in terms of going down to ten men.
“I thought in the first half we were a little bit cagey in our play, but I thought the second half we were a lot better.
“When we were down to ten men, of course it’s difficult, but to be fair to the group they carried on going and it was a well-deserved point.
“I know they’ve had some good chances, but Tom Cannon’s through one on one with the ‘keeper [at 1-1] and it goes just wide. If that goes in it could have potentially been three points with ten men and the place would have been bouncing.
“But I’m really pleased with the attitude and the application the lads showed to get a goal back because I think it’s a well-deserved point.”
Parrott’s goal from the spot was his first at Deepdale for North End and his first since the away game against Norwich City back in October, when he picked up an injury which would leave him sidelined for a lengthy period.
The Spurs loanee made his return from that injury against the Canaries at Deepdale in January, but it was his first start on Wednesday since the middle of September.
“I’m really pleased,” said Ryan. “He knew he was playing yesterday when he was in the shape and he was really champing at the bit.
“He’s been four months out – I think his last start was September – and we’ve missed him because he’s a leader.
“He gets hold of the ball and he shows fighting spirit there to keep battling away. I’m sure he’ll be sore and bruised in the morning; I’m just pleased he’s put the penalty away.”
Following the full-time whistle, the manager decided to get his squad – those who played, his substitutes, and his staff – in a huddle on the Deepdale pitch, and he explained the decision behind that.
Ryan said: “That was just for us as the group and that’s for people to see that we’re together; we’re all as one.
“We’ve got to keep believing that we can get points here and hopefully now, touch wood, that’s the hoodoo stopped at home where we’ve been losing games, and we’ve got an important game to go at Hull on Saturday.
“Then we’ve got a home game against Wigan Athletic the following week so hopefully that shows a little bit of togetherness from us to say, ‘Right let’s stick together, let’s believe,’ because that’s what we can do at home.
“Yes, we were down to ten men, but when we put our minds to it and we perform the way we can, it doesn’t matter where we’re playing – whether it’s home or away – we should be able to play the way we did second half there.”