Preston North End manager Simon Grayson hailed his side's psychological strength as they returned to winning ways against Notts County on Tuesday night.
Despite a long unbeaten stretch, Preston had drawn their previous three outings, inviting pressure from Milton Keynes Dons in the race for automatic promotion from Sky Bet League 1.Last night, however, the Lilywhites took all three points and extended their undefeated run to 17 league games with a 3-1 triumph at Meadow Lane.
Jermaine Beckford and Joe Garner put the Lancashire outfit in control and, after Jimmy Spencer pulled one back, Beckford struck again to keep Grayson's side a point clear of the chasing Dons, with just two games remaining.
When asked if the win was important psychologically, Grayson told the club's official website: “Yeah, I think so.”
The 45-year-old added: “To come off two poor man-management performances and results where we have conceded goals late in the games can deflate anybody.
“That anxiety creeps in and we withstood it; came up with blocks when we had to, and I thought we managed the game a lot better which led to the win.”