PNE lost 4-1 at Wrexham on Saturday afternoon.

Graham Alexander says he’s ‘sore’ after Preston North End shipped four goals in successive away games at Wrexham on Saturday, and that his side needs to ‘improve everything.’

Following the 4-0 thumping at Birmingham City on Tuesday, Preston at least got on the scoresheet in Wales as Alfie Devine levelled things up after Joe Worral’s opening header.

The joy didn’t last long, though, as former Lilywhite Ben Whiteman soon restored the home side’s advantage and two goals in four second-half minutes from Sam Smith and Kieffer Moore secured a 4-1 win.

Giving his verdict after the match, Alexander told The Post he was: “Sore.

“Gutted for the players. Thought we put a lot of energy into the game but we were found wanting in both boxes in the end . I thought for 60 minutes we were really competitive.

When asked what went wrong, the manager reiterated: “Both boxes.

“We just conceded goals that we shouldn't really.

“I think if you look at the opportunities we had, certainly at the start of the second half when it was 2-1, I think if we take one of those it could potentially be a different game.

“We've got a little bit of a soft spot at the moment that gets exposed at this level. We have to work hard to fix it.”

What do Preston need to do to start competing?

Preston have a week until their next game at home against West Brom and Alexander is hoping the time on the training ground will be of a huge benefit.

When asked how his side can start hitting the target more often after only registering a single shot on target in each of his three games in charge, he said: “Work. Work. I haven't got magic dust. We have to work.

“We had two weeks before the first game but then we've had three games in a week so time on the grass has been extremely limited for players playing every game.

“Next week we'll be able to get a couple of days in because of the fixture list.

“What else can we do but work on the training pitch to improve players' mentality?

“I don't think we'll improve their technique, that doesn't happen over night, but we can work and help them, support them to feel a bit more confident in those moments.”

“There's wounds there”

Reflecting on the mood of his squad, Alexander added: “I think we have to improve everything.

“I think for players who've been here quite a while it's been a tough calendar year, let's be honest.

“The last couple of games away from home have been really difficult, three including QPR.

“We're trying to reset but there's wounds there, without a shadow of a doubt.

“It's our responsibility to try and help them fix that. You can only do it through your work and then by clawing your way back into games, results and getting points on the board.”