Preston North End captain's 'better team' claim after final day defeat to Southampton
PNE were beaten by the in-form Saints at Deepdale
Preston North End captain Ben Whiteman felt the Lilywhites were ‘the better team’ despite their 1-3 defeat to Southampton.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis gave the Saints the lead on 12 minutes with a powerful header before Ross Stewart made it two for the play-off bound visitors, shortly after the break. Lewis Dobbin halved the deficit on the hour after pouncing on a Daniel Peretz error, but Southampton made it three in injury time when Cyle Larin tapped home. PNE finished the season in 14th place in the Championship.
Ben Whiteman told the media post-match: “I thought we were poor first ten and then I thought we were the better team, if I'm being honest. If you look at the way that Southampton have been [playing] since the new manager has come in, they've been dominant. I thought we were the dominant team on the day.
“But, they've got firepower at the top end of the pitch, and they can go and take the game away from you. I think obviously we're chasing the game then the third one goes in. Goals in the second half aren't good enough - (conceding in) the first couple of minutes, you give yourself a mountain to climb. I think we deserved our goal.”
The PNE skipper also praised the fans’ support in the final outing of the 2025/26 season, saying: "I think the way you play dictates the crowd. I thought the fans could see we were really trying, we were really pushing.
“Again, you need that little bit of luck sometimes when it's going to break for you. We missed a couple of chances which again, you need them to go for you against a team like Southampton, especially with the firepower that they've got.”