RUBEN SELLES admitted his Hull City team lacked a clinical edge at Deepdale – but was still pleased with their overall performance in defeat to Preston North End.

Brad Potts grabbed his third goal of the season on the hour to earn the hosts a first victory at home since beating Coventry on October 19.

He thought he had scored the winner last Saturday against Leeds, only to be denied at the death by Jack Whatmough’s own goal.

The result leaves Ruben Selles’ Hull languishing in the bottom three, having only just climbed out of the drop zone at the weekend.

PROMISING: Hull City manager, Ruben Selles Picture: George Wood/Getty Images

placeholder image — PROMISING: Hull City manager, Ruben Selles Picture: George Wood/Getty Images

“We created situations to score at least one goal and then in one moment we went 1-0 down and never recovered in terms of the score,” said Selles. “I think we were competitive enough.”

“We created situations and we need to make it count, but we created the situations so we just need to work on the details.

“You come away from difficult games in difficult competitions and first of all we need to be competitive and second of all we need to win football matches. Without being competitive we are not going to win games.

"We need to continue developing that competitiveness and in games like today, when we have the opportunities, we have to make it count. We have to try to not make excuses.”

DECISIVE MOMENT:Preston North End's Brad Potts scored the winning goal to sink Championship rivals Hull City at Deepdale. Picture: Richard Sellers/PA

The Tigers started with authority and, in the sixth minute, Regan Slater shanked a glorious chance well over the crossbar after goalkeeper Freddie Woodman parried Joao Pedro’s fierce effort back into the danger zone.

Preston soon woke up and retaliated shortly afterwards as Milutin Osmajic slammed Mads Frokjaer’s low cross wide from a difficult angle.

But North End’s Montenegrin attacker should have done much better in the 21st minute, firing tamely into the arms of Woodman from six yards following great work from Kaine Kesler-Hayden.

Kesler-Hayden provided another great pass just before half-time, bending a ball to the back post for Ben Whiteman, who volleyed wide.

Preston continued the second half on the front foot and Osmajic again fired wide after latching onto Potts’ ball in behind.

Sam Greenwood has so often been the source of attacking inspiration for manager Paul Heckingbottom this season but the on-loan Leeds man dragged a 55th-minute effort wide from inside the box.

It was no surprise when the hosts did take the lead and no surprise to see Kesler-Hayden involved. He stormed into the box before pulling the ball back for Potts to power a shot past Ivor Pandur.

Hull had lost a lot of impetus but did come close when Mason Burstow’s 69th-minute cross-cum-shot skidded just past a post.

Despite their struggles to win at Deepdale, Preston had only lost once in their last seven matches and do possess a competitive edge in Championship matches. They sat deep and were compact.

Burstow did fire a tame shot into the hands of Woodman in stoppage time and the Preston keeper did well to hold Matty Jacobs’ downward header shortly afterwards.

Preston North End: Woodman, Storey, Whatmough, Hughes, Potts, Whiteman, McCann, Kesler-Hayden, Frokjaer-Jensen (Holmes 77), Osmajic (Jakobsen 76), Greenwood (Keane 77). Unused substitutes: Cornell, Bauer, Ledson, Thordarson, Okkels, Bowler.

Hull City: Pandur, L Coyle (Drameh 84), Jones, McLoughlin, Giles (Jacob 46), Slater (Omur 73), Alzate, Puerta, Burstow, Joao Pedro (Bedia 73), Longman (Kamara 55). Unused substitutes: Racioppi, Mehlem, Burns, Sellars-Fleming.

Referee: J Smith (Lincolnshire).