Ryan Lowe admitted he had mixed emotions after the defeat to Norwich City, but said he was proud of his players.
North End hosted Norwich City at Deepdale for a crucial clash in the quest for a place in the top six, however it was the Canaries who came out on top.
After a relatively tight affair, Gabriel Sara netted for the visitors in the 86th minute and that extended the gap between the two sides to eight points, with four games remaining for PNE.
Ryan said: “Mixed emotions. I’m proud of the boys for what they gave us, as always, but disappointed with the goal we conceded.
“We wanted to win the game. We got attacking players on the pitch to try and win the game, and we changed shape a little bit to try and get in their half a little bit more.
“I think the desperation for the boys to do well in terms of going in for the tackle for the goal, it’s cost us in that moment. I can’t thank the players enough for what they’ve done and where they’ve got us to so far to this point.
“We’ve got 63 points with four games to go to try and collect as many points as we can. We fell a little bit short, but that’s the Championship for you.
“Credit goes to the players for what they’ve done all season. They’ve worked their socks off and my message to them now is let’s continue the season, the next four games and finish on a high. Let’s collect as many points as we can to see where it takes us in terms of league position.”
The game didn’t go by without opportunities for North End, with Jack Whatmough coming closest of anyone in the first half, hitting the crossbar with a header from inside the area.
PNE continued to try and create in the second period but clear-cut chances were limited, and the same can be said about the visitors, until Sara broke free in the late stages.
Now, with four matches to go and the rearranged trip to Southampton coming up on Tuesday night, the manager is focused on bettering the previous campaign.
Ryan said: “We know deep down where we are and the progression of the football club outside, inside, and everyone that’s doing their jobs. We know where we want to get to.
“We now want to keep collecting as many more points as we can and get more than we had last season.
“We’re on the points we had last season, scored more goals, more wins at Deepdale, so the progression’s there.
“We’ve just got to try and finish it off now and hopefully collect a few more points.”
