Wise-up

APPLAUSE all round: Lee Johnson leads the appreciation for his team after last night’s game

ATHLETIC were again cast as unlucky losers at Preston — and it is a label the manager is desperate to shake off.

Despite spending extended periods of last night’s televised game pressing forward, two mistakes led to first-half strikes for North End against the run of play.

James Tarkowski halved the deficit after 83 minutes, but it wasn’t enough for Athletic or their manager, who was clearly unhappy with the way Preston’s two goals came about.

“It is the same old story, isn’t it? We totally dominated the game and lost due to a lack of savvy,” Johnson said.

“We lost the first goal through not having the bravery to take the ball. And then Weso dives in, a stupid decision, and suddenly we are 2-0 down and they haven’t done anything.

“In fairness to the lads they kept going. In the second half they came out and again, totally dominated.

“We created something like 18 chances, away to a team like Preston. But we are sat here again as brave losers, aren’t we? That’s a tag we need to shake off very quickly.

“You saw the reaction from their crowd. They clapped us off the park. It is nice to know — but we dominated another game without taking three points.”

Johnson, who will have Tarkowski assessed today after he sustained a heavy knock in the latter stages of the game, wants his side to make their pressure count.

“You make your own luck and that is what I am telling the lads,” he added. “If you add up all the minutes since the start of the season, and the minutes of domination we have had, we haven’t scored enough and have conceded too many in the times when the other team have dominated — and those periods haven’t lasted long.

“Really, it is just inexperience. But we have a good squad, I still believe in us and I am looking forward to turning it round.”