PNE boss Grayson: We slipped below our best in Ipswich defeat

PNE impressed as they got off the mark with a 2-0 win at Loftus Road seven days ago but there was to be no repeat at Portman Road.

Grant Ward’s first-half strike proved to be enough as the Lilywhites rarely threatened Bartosz Bialkowski’s goal in a tight game.

Grayson said: “You know that when you come to Portman Road against a Mick McCarthy team you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to battle.

“Over the course of the game too many lost the individual battles.

“There wasn’t much in the game but we didn’t do enough off the ball and on the ball to try and get anything out of the game.

MATCH REPORT: Ipswich 1-0 PNE“It’s disappointing because we set good standards at QPR and today we slipped below them.

“We didn’t stop them playing and when we got hold of it we didn’t use it and we didn’t create too much.

“We’re all hugely disappointed that not enough of the players played to the standards that they have done on Tuesday night and on Saturday.

“You have to earn the right in any game if you’re going to win it and we didn’t do that today.”

Grayson said Jermaine Beckford had limped off early in the piece with a hamstring problem.

PNE have a couple of weeks to get the front man right with the international break now meaning they don’t play until September 10 against Barnsley.