Morrison knows the pain of play-off loss

PRESTON 1: HUDDERSFIELD 0: Sean Morrison insisted he for one was determined not to have any regrets come the end of the season.

Centre-back Morrison was honest in his assessment of Huddersfield Town’s current run of form which sees them stumbling into the play-offs.

The Terriers have lost three successive matches and not scored in any of them and Morrison said: “It’s not good enough.”

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Morrison, on loan from Reading, has endured play-off heartache twice before with Swindon and the Royals.

Last year he was part of the Reading squad which lost out on promotion to the Premier League against Swansea at Wembley.

Morrison said: “It’s heartbreaking to go so close after 49 games and come away with nothing. You might as well finish mid-table.

“What you don’t want to do is go away in the summer with any regrets, thinking you could have done more. This will be my third time in the play-offs and I’m not going to have any regrets.”

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Town have now lost four of the last five and, worryingly, have a blunted cutting edge, which is wasting the talents of the prolific Jordan Rhodes.

Rhodes started off alone up front but lacked support from wingers Gary Roberts and Danny Ward.

In the first half Ian Bennett, who came in for the injured Alex Smithies, saved one-handed from Danny Mayor before Chris Holroyd smashed a shot against the foot of the post.

Rhodes had a couple of half chances but Preston scored the only goal early in the second half when Chris Robertson fired home after Mayor’s burst of pace and cross into the box.

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Bennett saved from Mayor and Graham Cummins and though Town piled on late pressure an equaliser never looked likely.

Smithies is recovering after needing 30 stitches in an ear wound sustained in a training ground collision.

Preston NE: Stuckmann; Gray, Robertson, Wright, Parry (Morgan 44); Coutts, Procter (N Hunt 85), Ehmer, Mayor; Holroyd, Hume (Cummins 42). Unused substitutes: Arestidou, Aneke.

Huddersfield: Bennett; J Hunt, Morrison, P Clarke, Woods; Ward (Novak 56), Arfield, Arismendi (Miller 68), Robinson (Cadamarteri 79), Roberts; Rhodes. Unused substitutes: Colgan, T Clarke.

Referee: A P D’Urso (Essex).

Man of the match: Sean Morrison.