Ryan Lowe felt his side’s gameplan was working to perfection in the opening hour of the 3-0 defeat to Leicester City.
Preston North End went to the King Power Stadium looking to become only the second side this season to take a point from the Foxes.
The manager opted to switch to a back four for the trip to the East Midlands and, in the first half especially, PNE competed well and they could have had the lead at the break if Duane Holmes had found the target with a 43rd-minute chance.
Holmes then forced the goalkeeper into a smart save early in the second half, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring on the hour mark, and from that point the hosts took control and added further goals through Kelechi Iheanacho and another from Dewsbury-Hall.
Ryan said: “It’s crazy because I am proud of the performance but we’ve lost.
“The lads are disappointed, we’re disappointed, but the gameplan was working a treat until we make a sort of individual error where we go to ground and it ricocheted into one of their players.
“Then you find yourselves 1-0 down and then just before that we’re making changes to change shape a little because we felt we could get on the front foot and try and get back in the game.
“Then they go and score the second. So, listen, we’re all disappointed of course but I’m proud of the boys. They were fantastic.”
North End were missing three men who have played the majority of minutes so far this season on the night, with skipper Alan Browne and Jordan Storey out through illness, and Andrew Hughes sidelined with injury.
Hughesy had a scan on Wednesday, with the manager set to find out the extent of the problem on Thursday, while the duo missing through illness will be given every chance to make the weekend’s trip to Ipswich Town.
The absences opened opportunities for the likes of Greg Cunningham and Jack Whatmough to come in, who were part of the team who battled well against a Leicester City side hotly tipped for an instant return to the Premier League.
Ryan said: “There’s going to be teams that come here and it’s going to be 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 every other week because of their firepower and the players they’ve got.
“You keep Jamie Vardy quiet for 60 minutes and then they bring Iheanacho on, so the fact of the matter is you have to come up against those kind of players and these type of clubs.
“I thought we did well in the first half. We frustrated them and went in at half-time 0-0, whereas it could have been a bit different.
“We came out second half on the front foot. We were waiting for them to intercept passes to give us an opportunity, [it was] just that moment of clinical edge at the top end of the pitch [missing]. It could have been a little bit different.
“But I can’t fault the lads. The gameplan was spot on for 60 minutes until a moment of quality from them but also a moment of decision making from us.”