Neil: We’ve got to be braver!
PRESTON manager Alex Neill admitted his side must improve fast – despite two goals in four minutes from Paul Gallagher and Alan Browne that kept them in the play-off spots.
Neill was frustrated that his side failed to control the game against struggling Hull.
“I don’t think we’re as bad as people were suggesting in the first half,” said Neill. “We lacked a bit of bravery and I didn’t think we got the ball out wide enough. When we did move it, we moved it too slowly.
“If we want to move up the table and if you watch Fulham, Brentford or any of the top teams like the West Broms, they go and outplay teams.”
But he was delighted that his side showed the spirit to grind out the points.
“Alan’s is a sensational goal, and what I’ll say about Jayden Stockley is that technically, for a big man, he is a very good player. He’s shifted the ball to his left, clipped a great ball in and Alan does what Alan does,” he said.
Hull’s Mallik Wilks fired an effort at Declan Rudd then fired well over when he was perfectly teed up by Josh Magennis. Later, a neat bit of skill saw him ease past Ben Pearson but fire at Rudd’s feet.
At the other end, Gallagher sent a perfect in-swinging cross on to the head of Sean Maguire, who glanced wide.
Tom Barkhuizen’s header from Maguire’s cross was well saved by George Long and he fired the rebound over.
While North End grew into the first half in an attacking sense, their back-line fell asleep just before the break.
A short corner routine ended with Callum Elder crossing for Wilks to nod in.
That sparked a reaction for the home team. Darnell Fisher snuck round the back and laid a ball across the six-yard box for Maguire, who was denied by a stunning goal-line clearance by Reece Burke.
Fisher and Magennis had a titanic battle all afternoon. Fisher came out on the right side of it just after the hour when the Hull man clumsily brought him down in the area. Gallagher, with his iconic back-toward-goal run-up, powered the spot-kick home.
Seconds earlier Hull had been lucky to get away with another penalty shout as Jordy de Wijs looked to have downed Browne.
The home side were soon ahead. Stockley crossed for Browne, who headed the ball back across Long and in. Hull boss Grant McCann said: “For large periods it was a good away performance. It was probably the best we’ve played for a while in terms of overall performance.
“The first goal is shocking. It is a mistake by the referee. Fisher’s gone down very easily.
“We knew that Preston had the most penalties in the league and it seems they always happen at this end.
“He has got sucked into the first one that wasn’t a penalty, and the next one he’s going to give it.
“We were defending well and dealing with things, but the second goal is not good enough from us.
“It is avoidable, we should have defended that.”