02-04-2018, 19:11
Manager Alex Neil reflected on this afternoon’s 1-0 defeat to Derby and felt his players did enough to win the game.
Tom Lawrence’s free kick early on in the second half gave the Rams the spoils at Deepdale in this afternoon’s early kick off, and the manager was left to rue the missed opportunities his side had throughout the 90 minutes.
“We were the better team throughout the game,” analysed Neil after the final whistle. “We moved the ball better, created more opportunities and we did pretty much everything you can do from a performance but the key areas where you need to make your differences is the scoreline.
“We had the penalty obviously where we miss it which can happen - but we had 19 opportunities - two of which were on target so it shows that that’s the area we’ve lacked in terms of quality to make the difference.
“Then they have two shots on target, one of which ends up in the back of the net. What’s disappointing for me is that I’ve got some lads who are devastated in there, one being Alan Browne and I really feel for him at the moment. We done everything we could, the one thing we lacked is putting the ball in the back of the net.
“They didn’t have a shot on goal in the first half but at the end of the day the ball has got to go in the back of the net and that’s what matters. We moved the ball well at times but when we did get opportunities we snatched at them, there’s not much I can say because I can’t be too critical of my team because they performed well and they did nearly everything I asked of them. You just rely on their ability to put the ball in the net.
Neil added: “We did everything we could we just didn’t have enough to win the game. We were dealt with a sucker punch from the free kick which we should have done better with so naturally we’re all disappointed and frustrated today.”
Although admitting that the job of a Play-Off place remains even harder following today’s result, the gaffer vowed to the PNE fans that they’ll be doing everything they can to win their remaining games and see where it takes them come May 6th.
He continued: “What I’ve said to them is there’s been more than five points that we’ve had to chase down at some points this season.
“It’s now going to be minimal five points but we’ve closed that gap before and we’ve just got to try and play as well as we can and try and win as many as we can.
“We’ll be disappointed tonight after today’s game but we need to brush it off and finish the season strongly, obviously we’ve been really disappointed today but we’ve got six games to go to make sure we finish the season strongly.
Gary Rowett hopes that confidence will continue to build after Derby County ended their eight-game winless run with a battling 1-0 victory against Preston North End.
Tom Lawrence grabbed the only goal with a stunning free-kick early in the second-half to secure a first success in nearly two months for the Rams.
Rowett wants his players to take advantage of the increase in belief that will come as a result of an important win.
He told RamsTV:“I’m pleased, it feels like relief. It didn’t matter how we won the game, we need to play better than that but, to be honest, I’m not bothered today.
“I don’t think it was about the points today or where we are in the league, but more about the psychological angle because the longer the winless run went on, the more pressure there would be on the players.
“We looked a little bit edgy and what a win does it settle everything down and give the players an extra little bit of confidence.
“We have to seize the opportunity of what this result has done for us.”
Lawrence was replaced at half-time during the defeat to Sunderland on Friday but he produced the perfect response at Deepdale with his fourth goal of the season.
Rowett was thrilled with the performance of his Welsh winger - especially after the break - and he explained why it only takes one moment to change the course of a performance.
He said: “It’s typical of the recent run because in the first half, he looked a little bit edgy, but in the second half, as soon as he scored, he was a different player.
“That’s what confidence does for you, and whatever anybody thinks, you can’t just turn it on like a tap.
“It’s a great strike and it was a deserved goal to win the game, but you see afterwards that he looked like our most lively player."
The boss also reserved praise for David Nugent, Curtis Davies and Alex Pearce, who made his first start in the Sky Bet Championship this season.
He added: “There were some good performances today, even though it was a different type of performance.
“Nuge worked his socks off, and for Alex, it’s not easy to come into the team but him and Curtis were very strong defensively.”
[IMG]
The focus now turns to the home clash with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, and Rowett wants his side to put on a show for the fans at Pride Park Stadium.
He said: “We have to improve our home performances, because we haven’t played well enough and we will need the team ethic and resilience, but also the composure when we attack.
“Hopefully, three points will give us the belief to go and do that.”
Tom Lawrence’s free kick early on in the second half gave the Rams the spoils at Deepdale in this afternoon’s early kick off, and the manager was left to rue the missed opportunities his side had throughout the 90 minutes.
“We were the better team throughout the game,” analysed Neil after the final whistle. “We moved the ball better, created more opportunities and we did pretty much everything you can do from a performance but the key areas where you need to make your differences is the scoreline.
“We had the penalty obviously where we miss it which can happen - but we had 19 opportunities - two of which were on target so it shows that that’s the area we’ve lacked in terms of quality to make the difference.
“Then they have two shots on target, one of which ends up in the back of the net. What’s disappointing for me is that I’ve got some lads who are devastated in there, one being Alan Browne and I really feel for him at the moment. We done everything we could, the one thing we lacked is putting the ball in the back of the net.
“They didn’t have a shot on goal in the first half but at the end of the day the ball has got to go in the back of the net and that’s what matters. We moved the ball well at times but when we did get opportunities we snatched at them, there’s not much I can say because I can’t be too critical of my team because they performed well and they did nearly everything I asked of them. You just rely on their ability to put the ball in the net.
Neil added: “We did everything we could we just didn’t have enough to win the game. We were dealt with a sucker punch from the free kick which we should have done better with so naturally we’re all disappointed and frustrated today.”
Although admitting that the job of a Play-Off place remains even harder following today’s result, the gaffer vowed to the PNE fans that they’ll be doing everything they can to win their remaining games and see where it takes them come May 6th.
He continued: “What I’ve said to them is there’s been more than five points that we’ve had to chase down at some points this season.
“It’s now going to be minimal five points but we’ve closed that gap before and we’ve just got to try and play as well as we can and try and win as many as we can.
“We’ll be disappointed tonight after today’s game but we need to brush it off and finish the season strongly, obviously we’ve been really disappointed today but we’ve got six games to go to make sure we finish the season strongly.
Gary Rowett hopes that confidence will continue to build after Derby County ended their eight-game winless run with a battling 1-0 victory against Preston North End.
Tom Lawrence grabbed the only goal with a stunning free-kick early in the second-half to secure a first success in nearly two months for the Rams.
Rowett wants his players to take advantage of the increase in belief that will come as a result of an important win.
He told RamsTV:“I’m pleased, it feels like relief. It didn’t matter how we won the game, we need to play better than that but, to be honest, I’m not bothered today.
“I don’t think it was about the points today or where we are in the league, but more about the psychological angle because the longer the winless run went on, the more pressure there would be on the players.
“We looked a little bit edgy and what a win does it settle everything down and give the players an extra little bit of confidence.
“We have to seize the opportunity of what this result has done for us.”
Lawrence was replaced at half-time during the defeat to Sunderland on Friday but he produced the perfect response at Deepdale with his fourth goal of the season.
Rowett was thrilled with the performance of his Welsh winger - especially after the break - and he explained why it only takes one moment to change the course of a performance.
He said: “It’s typical of the recent run because in the first half, he looked a little bit edgy, but in the second half, as soon as he scored, he was a different player.
“That’s what confidence does for you, and whatever anybody thinks, you can’t just turn it on like a tap.
“It’s a great strike and it was a deserved goal to win the game, but you see afterwards that he looked like our most lively player."
The boss also reserved praise for David Nugent, Curtis Davies and Alex Pearce, who made his first start in the Sky Bet Championship this season.
He added: “There were some good performances today, even though it was a different type of performance.
“Nuge worked his socks off, and for Alex, it’s not easy to come into the team but him and Curtis were very strong defensively.”
[IMG]
The focus now turns to the home clash with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, and Rowett wants his side to put on a show for the fans at Pride Park Stadium.
He said: “We have to improve our home performances, because we haven’t played well enough and we will need the team ethic and resilience, but also the composure when we attack.
“Hopefully, three points will give us the belief to go and do that.”
Why should a man go to work, if he has the health and strength to stay in bed?