Graham Turner's thoughts after the 1-0 win over Preston North End
Graham Turner Post Preston North End
By Matt Johnson
Graham Turner greeted waiting journalists with unconfined joy as his Town side opened their League One account with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Preston at the Greenhous Meadow.
It was former Lilywhite Paul Parry who stole the headlines with an unstoppable fourth minute volley that rip-roared into the North End net after the visitors failed to clear a Mark Wright free-kick.
“I think that is a vital win for us”, said Turner. “You need to get points on the board as soon as possible to take the pressure off and that’s just what we’ve done.
“It was a great start to the game. I thought we looked a bit edgy at times during the course of the match and I think we should’ve done better in terms of possession. It’s something that we’ve been very good at over recent seasons, but the edgy side I can understand with it being the first home game at a new level.”
GT was quick to praise the work rate of his squad and Parry for his game-winning goal, but he didn’t forget the impact of a new-look defence that helped to seal the victory by keeping it tight at the back.
“We’ve got to be delighted with the overall work that the players put in, if not the quality of our play and I’m absolutely delighted with the goal.
“He can do that [Parry]. He should be going into double figures this season with goals. He’s a great striker of the ball and he’s just caught it as sweet as anything and you don’t see many better struck balls than that – fantastic finish.
“We’ve had to work hard at the back. As the game wore on Preston threw more and more bodies forward and put us under a bit of pressure. The goalkeeper and two central defenders stood their ground and I also thought we worked hard as a team to defend.”
The opening two fixtures of the campaign represented a significant step up in quality between League’s One and Two, and Turner paid great tribute to the fans for the level of vocal support that helped to roar the team on to their 33rd consecutive match unbeaten at the fortress Meadow.
“We’ve played two of the biggest clubs in the division. I think looking back on it we should’ve got something out of the Sheffield United game, so the message to the players will be that there is nothing to fear.
“It is a step up in the quality; it’s also a step up in the noise levels. The Preston supporters had a big following, but from our supporters there was a lot more noise today than there was 12 months ago when we played our first home match and I think they’re appreciating what has gone on at the club and what they now see.”