Preston North End star leads reaction to FA Cup defeat and tips Aston Villa star for England call-up

Preston North End captain Ben Whiteman only had praise for his team mates and the Deepdale faithful after defeat to Aston Villa.

The Lilywhites were beaten 0-3 on home soil in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa. Marcus Rashford scored a quickfire double either side of the hour mark, before Jacob Ramsey fired in number three on 71 minutes. Deepdale was packed to the rafters and a depleted PNE put up a strong fight in the first half, but ultimately succumbed to the superior quality of Unai Emery’s side.

“Yeah, obviously tired but proud of the lads in terms of the effort and commitment they put into today,” said Whiteman, when asked for his post-match feeling. “First half, we knew they were going to dominate the ball but I think we had the best chance in the game. I think you do need that little bit of luck when you come up against the Premier League sides and the Champions League sides. Second half, they turned it on, you switch off a little bit, they capitalised and then the game's over in five minutes.

“But again, immensely proud of the boys and credit to the fans as well because the minute the goal went in, they were backing us. Even in the warm-up, the stands were nearly packed as well. So, running out to that, I thought the fans on the day were absolutely outstanding. You want them to get behind you and help you as much as possible and I thought they did that. Credit to them... turned out in the numbers, it's just unfortunate we couldn’t get over the line.

“I think it's one of them first half. Obviously, all the energy is high, fans are right behind you. You're wanting that chance to go in. Second half, if you're a little bit loose out of possession, they go bam, bam, bam, it’s a goal. I thought the penalty was soft. I haven't seen it back, but then it's backs against the wall, really. You don't want it to become a high score line. But, as I mentioned before, it wasn't down to a lack of commitment. I thought the lads to a man were outstanding today.

“It just wasn't meant to be. 100 per cent (the key is to try and get the first goal). You’ve got something to hang on to then, haven’t you? When you start chasing the game, if you're off it a split second, they can play through you. No matter how good you are off the ball, they've got the likes of Asensio, Rashford, Rogers, Watkins when he comes on, Ramsey as well. But I'm going to mention it again, can't credit the lads enough. Special for the young lads who came on today, in that atmosphere. I've just said to Theo (Carroll) there, no matter what goes on in the rest of his career, he can always say a World Cup winner has saved his shot.”

“It’s great for the football club.”

Manager Paul Heckingbottom has welcomed cup matches all campaign and the approach has yielded runs in both competitions. North End striker Will Keane said the mindset has been refreshing in the week - and Whiteman wants it be something PNE can maintain moving forwards.

“100 per cent, yeah,” said the number four. “The only downside to that is obviously, when you're a club like ours and you do rely on loans a little bit, they then can't play in those games. That's the only thing that's a little bit tough. But, again, that's what you want to do. You want to build in the competitions. Just look at it, the teams have had this season. Arsenal, Fulham and obviously Aston Villa as well. It's great for the football club, where the fans want us to be and hopefully we can do that again.”

Preston’s midfielder, who made his return to the starting XI after a couple of months out with an ankle injury, has made it public knowledge he is a big Manchester United supporter. Swapping shirts with Rashford after the game wasn’t his aim, though.

“No, I got Jacob Ramsey's,” said Whiteman. “I played with him at Doncaster. So yeah, I caught up with him after the game. Really pleased for him, because he's a great lad and Covid wrecked his... I think he only played six games and ended up scoring three goals, I think. So, you could to see he was special and I'm sure that England call-up's not far away from him.”

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