Preston North End captain Alan Browne gives scathing assessment after defeat to Vincent Kompany's Burnley in Lancashire derby

Nathan Tella opened the scoring in the first half with his head before adding two more in the second half, this time both with his left foot.

The diminutive winger was a thorn in the side of North End all day and left Liam Lindsay on the floor before cutting inside to fire past Woodman for his second before firing home from the edge of the box for his third.

It was no less than the Clarets deserved on the day and Browne did not hold back when giving his thoughts on the game afterwards.

The PNE skipper does not shy away from fronting up after a defeat.

“It's horrible, as a player you never want to come off the pitch feeling like that,” he said. “We were dominated from minute one to minute 90, all over the pitch really they were better than us. They were set up better, tactically. There's a reason they are top of the league, their team is top class and they really showed it today.

"We got roasted in the first half, countless balls into the box and it was just unfortunate we were undone by a set piece. That's probably one area where, maybe not in stats, but I would expect us to be better than them. From a second ball, it's not even a big lad, he gets a run at it at the front post.

"From there, well, before it our backs were against the wall but from there it was a long way back and we never really looked like getting back into the game. We were miles off them today, they were streets ahead of us in every aspect.

"They're probably the standout team, that is where we need to get to but I think every team in the league would probably be saying the same thing.

"There's a reason they're unbeaten at home this year, the football they play, even when you're playing against it you're thinking 'this is a difficult afternoon'. Watching it you must be thinking they walked all over us because that's what it felt like as a player.”

PNE were backed by a sellout 2,250 travelling contingent but they were treated to just two shots on target from their side and only saw their side have possession of the ball for 30 per cent of the game.

Browne had a clear message for the North End fans but also knows how important the next few games are for his side.

He said: “Just stick with us. We're grateful for the support every week, home and away. I know it's tough at times and frustrating but it's equally as frustrating for us. Today's game isn't going to define our season, they're going to get promoted.

"There is a gap there between them and us but I think the next week is really important to get some results because those are the games we should be winning or should be getting results from.

"We would have loved to have got something today for the fans who travelled and created a quality atmosphere for us but we just weren't up to it and got outclassed.”