Ryan Lowe was left disappointed by the way his side ended the season in their 3-0 defeat to Sunderland.
Both sides had great opportunities in the first half to break the deadlock at Deepdale, with Liam Delap having the best chance of the day for PNE, while Freddie Woodman came up with several good stops to keep the game goalless.
The visitors took the lead, however, on 54 minutes when Amad Diallo found the top corner from range, before strikes from Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke helped the visitors secure a Play-Off spot thanks to results elsewhere.
Ryan said: “First half I thought we were fantastic, in the second half though they changed shape and matched us up. Their first goal came from a mistake of ours.
“I think our season has been good, but I want it to be very good and excellent. To do that, we need to find them moments and we didn’t quite find them today.
“We had 15 points to play for from the final five matches; in the end we got one point and we probably only needed six to get in.
“My main focus is to get the lads recovered. I’m meeting with them all tomorrow and then we’ll all take some time off.
“I’ll have five to ten minutes with all the lads – some will be potential new contracts, some will be thank yous, some will be encouragement for next season. I also want to thank all my staff for their hard work and dedication. It’s been immense so I’m very thankful for that.
“It’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster this season. I’ll have a family holiday but the work will be relentless over the next few weeks. We need players that can help the group and help us get where we want to get to.”
The manager, who watched the final game of the season from the gantry due to his touchline ban, wanted to express his appreciation for the fanbase for all their support and backing over the course of the season.
“I want to thank the fans from the bottom of my heart for all their support,” he said.
“I do get emotional because I care. I want to take this football club on a journey.
“With the fans staying behind today to support me, the staff and the players, it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. It gives me more motivation to do better for the football club.
“My sole focus is to bring the good times back to Preston North End and take us on a journey.”