PNE boss Alex Neil hails 'important' victory over Hull City

Alex Neil salutes the PNE fans after the win over Hull

The 2-1 win wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination, North End coming from behind to claim the three points thanks to goals from Greg Cunningham and Alan Browne.

Jarrod Bowen had put the Tigers in front with a shot which deflected off Cunningham's foot.

Neil said: "I think at this stage of the season - and I said this to the lads afterwards - winning the game is more important than the performance at times.

"You can play well but if you don't get anything at the end it doesn't really matter, points are the prizes just now.

"We didn't start the game well, it probably took us 15 minutes to understand what the game was about in terms of Hull were going to turn it and we were going to have to make sure we defended deep and guard the space.

"Also, we were going to have to turn it because Callum Robinson was taking the ball in and we were going to have to get in behind them more.

Alan Browne scores PNE's winner from the penalty spot

"I thought we started to do that which better.

"What we have got as a team and as a club is that we are really resilient, we never give in.

"We conceded the first goal which was quite unfortunate because it took a deflection and looped into the net.

"At that point lesser teams might have given up to an extent but we didn't do that, we put our foot on the gas and cranked it up.

"We managed to get two goals leading up to half-time which gave us confidence in the second half."

Victory moved North End up to seventh place in the Championship, three points off the play-offs.

Neil said: "We had spoken about how important the game was, we knew how crucial it was because four teams around us were playing each other.

"This was an opportunity for us to make up ground on some teams.

"That meant there was perhaps a wee bit of trepidation going into it.

"Once we conceded, then we thought we need to go to work, win more headers and tackles, be more dangerous.

"If I'm being honest, our best of the game was right after half time, the first 20-25 minutes.

"We had three really good chances, their keeper made a couple of really good saves and we could have scored more to put the game to bed.

"However we didn't and as the game wore on they put fresh legs on and we had to put fresh legs on to counter that.

"Ben Pearson got injured and we had to make do with more attacking players coming on, although it called for a more defensive set-up.

"We deal with the cards we are dealt at the moment and we managed to see the game out."