Players have let manager down, Preston midfielder Ryan Ledson throws his weight behind Alex Neil

Calls only increased for the Scot to leave North End after the Lilywhites recorded their 20th defeat of the season.

Ledson made a return to the starting XI against the Hatters after missing a spell due to a calf tear.

The only goal of the game came seven minutes from time as Daniel Iversen made an excellent save from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before James Collins’ follow up struck the Dane and went into the net.

North End’s No.18 rubbished any claims that the players are not behind the manager and insists the squad want him to remain in charge.

“It’s rubbish, to be honest,” he said.

“I want him to stay, I know all the lads want him to stay. I feel sorry for him.

“We haven’t been good enough. He must be standing on the line thinking ‘What more can I do?’

“He works so hard every day, he’s in from seven in the morning and doesn’t leave until five or six at night.

“And we’ve let him down. I can’t stress enough that it’s been nowhere near good enough.”

Ledson was not hiding away from the standard of PNE’s performances of late and was prepared to take responsibility for the players’ part in it.

The 23-year-old cut a frustrated figure after the defeat and was full of praise for Iversen whose own goal in the end decided the points at Deepdale.

He said: “It’s a difficult time, we all know that.

“We’ve come up short again, it’s happened too many times and it’s not good enough.

“We know that as players, we know that around the whole club.

“I’ve just said it’s not good enough yet it keeps happening time and time again.

“You can’t blame Dan for the goal, Dan’s been excellent in the games since he’s come in.

“It’s a cross that’s come in and the difference is they’ve got three lads in the box and at the end Gallagher puts a cross in for us and there’s no one in the box.

“At the minute, that’s the difference.”

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