Sam Hudson was proud of the efforts of his young Pompey side in their Youth Alliance Cup final defeat.
It was Preston who lifted the silverware after securing a 3-1 victory on a chilly evening at Fratton Park.
Harry Clout had cancelled out Theo Carroll’s opener, only for Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile and Troy Tarry to both strike for the visitors before the break.
The Blues managed to cause plenty of problems in their search for a route back, but Hudson conceded that they were lacking some sharpness.
Pompey’s lead professional development phase coach said: “It’s obviously disappointing to lose a cup final – particularly one that was being held at Fratton Park.
“First of all I’d like to thank all of the fans who came out to support us because their backing definitely helped.
“I looked at the numbers and they were very similar – the same number of shots and final third entries, while we edged the penalty box entries.
“But the difference was that they were super clinical and much better in those match-winning moments that really count.
"I’d like to thank all of the fans who came out to support us because their backing definitely helped us."
“I felt like we got at Preston well when we were able to get around them through Harry and Koby out wide.
“The biggest thing I can take from it is the second half reaction because we looked great for around 30 minutes, without really creating too much.
“But we applied pressure and forced our opponents to defend – the boys did everything that we asked of them.
“If we could have got a goal back then I believe it would have totally changed the game, but it wasn’t to be.”
Clout converted a low Koby Mottoh cross at the Milton End and was a constant menace on the left for Pompey.
Hudson said: “That was his first appearance at Fratton Park – or in any football stadium – and it was a great experience for him.
“He came off injured last week and was touch and go, having hardly trained with us over the past few days.
“But I felt he was the best player on the pitch, dominating his man when he had possession and creating plenty.
“He also took his goal well, despite an awkward bouncing ball. All the lads can hold their heads high, but he was excellent.”
