PRESTON boss David Moyes admitted he was relieved to go in just 3-0 down at the interval.

"We were lucky to go in 3-0 down but I thought we were brilliant in the second half.

"The players did it themselves. It is not easy as a manager when you're 3-0 down at half-time against your local rivals to try and make sure you say everything right.

"But all credit to the players. They took it on themselves to make sure it did not happen again in the second half.

"It is as bad as I've seen us play in the first 20 minutes," he said.

"We were at sixes and sevens and never got to grips early on.

"I thought the ten minutes before half-time we started to control it a bit better but prior to that we were at the races."

Moyes tightened it up, going three at the back and packing five in the midfield after the introduction of Colin Murdock after 22 minutes.

"We had thought about going three at the back before the game but decided against it.

"I think at this point our thoughts were on damage limitation."

Moyes admitted it was a relief to see Jon Macken fired home his 13th goal of the season.

"I would have taken any goal at that stage but he did take it well.

"And I thought the second was a penalty, first hand ball and then Berg tugged his shirt.

"I think it is only the second penalty we have been given this season, hopefully we'll get a run of them now!"

The manager's headache now it what to do with his backline after losing six games in the last seven -- but he says there's no rush into the transfer market.

""I am not enjoying the period we are in at the moment but I will stick with the players I have. They showed what they have got in the second half, especially when they have got the bit between their teeth.

"In the second half we showed signs of recovery and we need to use that to take us into the next run of games."