We couldn’t create - Holden

DEAN Holden made no excuses for Athletic's heavy defeat by Preston, a second four-goal drubbing of the season at home.

Shorn of a host of key players through injury, Holden could only watch in horror as his men conceded in under two minutes.

It got worse from there as Paul Huntington's early header from a corner was followed by strikes from Daniel Johnson, Joe Garner and Jermaine Beckford.

A disappointed Holden wants every member of his squad to focus on bouncing back at Port Vale tomorrow.

“I hate losing games like that, as all the players do,” said Holden, in temporary charge of the team following Lee Johnson’s departure for Barnsley.

“Of course there is disappointment. What happens now is we look at where it went wrong and why, and fix it for Port Vale.

“You have to lift players. If we go into that game with the same mentality we finished this one, we will get absolutely battered there as well.

“You pick yourself up and put a smile on your face. You look in the mirror and ask, 'did I do enough?'

“If everyone brings that, we will be in the right mind to go to Port Vale and win and get a run going again.”

Holden felt that while Athletic were competitive in the first period, the team faded away badly after that.

He added: “It was a very, very disappointing end to the game. We were in it during the first half, I felt.

“But the facts are you can't concede goals like we did and expect to draw a game, never mind win.”