'We knew' - Preston North End star airs main gripe after defeat to 'direct' Stoke City

Preston North End defender Jordan Storey was frustrated by the Lilywhites' failure to adapt in Saturday's 1-2 loss to Stoke City.

Luke McNally scored the 87th minute winner for the Potters, who picked up a priceless three points at Deepdale - to climb out of the relegation zone. North End were looking to close the gap to the play-off places, but left empty handed in the penultimate game before the break.

Steven Schumacher's side were set up in a wing-back system, with the Stoke boss matching Preston's shape up. Storey was honest in his post-match interview, admitting that PNE were off the pace by their standards and struggled to find rhythm in the match.

"Going into the game, we were full of confidence," said Storey. "It's a disappointing one. We didn't seem like we were 100 per cent ourselves today. There were times in the game when they probably competed better than us and turned it into a rough and ready game. To concede the two goals we did was a kick in the teeth as well, because it's not like either of them were well worked. I think we've got to adapt; they played a back three.

"In the last few games, we've been pressing the life out of teams and they obviously just missed that out all together and went direct. So, I think we have to adapt better. We are not going to play against teams who pass out every time, especially not on this pitch. But at the end of the day, there are two teams who play on that pitch - so we can't make excuses with it. I think it has definitely benefitted us in games before, when teams have played a bit.

"If they are going to go a bit more direct then we've got to deal with it a little bit better. I thought we were fairly solid, dealing with the long ball - maybe we struggled to pick up firsts and seconds. We all knew it was going to be a tough game. Just because they are 22nd, they aren't just going to roll over - they've got something to fight for. We knew it was going to be a battle and maybe they just came out on top that bit more, throughout the game."

And reflecting on Stoke's scruffy winner, Storey added: "Yeah, I've probably got to deal with it better and try to get something more on it. Obviously, the clearance ends up hitting one of their players and it goes in off the post. There is an element of luck to it, but you could maybe go back and look at things before the goal went in - what happened 20/30 seconds before, to lead up to it. We will go through it on Monday, debrief on it all and try put it right next week."