Second half ‘not good enough’ in Swansea defeat – Michael Duff

Posted Sunday, August 27, 2023 by PA

Swansea boss Michael Duff rued a sloppy second half as his side blew a half-time advantage in a 2-1 loss to Preston at Deepdale.

Harrison Ashby’s effort in the 33rd minute gave the visitors a deserved lead at the break but they were poor after the break and were made to pay.

Andrew Hughes drew the hosts level before Duane Holmes struck with just over 10 minutes left to complete Preston’s comeback.

Defeat added to Swansea’s misery after losing Joel Piroe to Leeds United earlier in the week.

“I thought we were totally dominant in the first half, so in the end I’m really frustrated,” said Duff.

“We knew we’d have to tweak one or two things at half-time, so we did that and then we didn’t look enough of a threat early in the second half.

“There needs to be a mentality shift, that’s a disappointing thing – we should know that teams in this division are not just going to roll over. We definitely need to be putting teams to the sword when we’re 1-0 up.

“Some of the passes and the movement in that second half just wasn’t good enough. We gave away two quite soft goals in the end, but we shouldn’t really have been in that situation in the first place.

“It’s been a difficult week all round. We thought we were going to keep Joel and then he’s gone, and looking at it we do need to strengthen before the window closes.”

Victory extends Preston’s strong start to the new season, with three wins out of four in an unbeaten start to the campaign.

Boss Ryan Lowe was thrilled with his side’s second-half display and believes his squad, currently sitting in fifth place in the Championship, can continue to grow in confidence.

Lowe added: “The whole group has been fantastic so far this season.

“We were a little bit disappointed at half-time at being behind, but after that the attitude and application of all the lads was first-class.

“The lads are taking instructions on board and as a manager I can’t ask for more than that. We showed resilience too, which is also pleasing for me.

“The lads have got confidence. We don’t take a lot of notice of what other teams are doing, we just concentrate on going about our own business. We’re finding a way to win matches, and that’s all it’s about really.

“Every player has been fantastic in different ways. Some lads are playing in different positions than they’re maybe used to, but they’re all doing their jobs.

“I’ve told the lads to go out there and enjoy their football, and that’s what they’re doing.”