Paul Heckingbottom praises Thierry Small after Preston beat Charlton

Paul Heckingbottom heaped praise on Thierry Small after Preston beat Charlton 2-0 in the Sky Bet Championship.

The 21-year-old former Addicks man responded to a barrage of abuse from the away end with a deflected opener in the 67th minute.

In a game of attrition on a very windy afternoon, Daniel Jebbison scored his first goal for Preston to double the lead late in the second half.

On Small, Preston manager Heckingbottom said: “I’m really glad he was involved in the game. I spoke to him [beforehand] and said that it’s just another game but it’s different because Thierry is young and excitable.

“We just wanted him to really focus on his role and what his job was and he went and did it.

“When you play against former clubs, you know you’re getting a bit of stick and it’s nice to get one over them so Thierry will have enjoyed that but he’s keeping his feet on the ground and he just wants to keep doing well for us.

“All we want is Thierry to give his best for us and his best is always going to be good enough.”

Heckingbottom was also keen to praise Jebbison after the on-loan Bournemouth man got off the mark for the season.

“He’ll be delighted,” he said. “Ultimately, you want your centre-forwards to score goals but for us and our team and our setup, that’s not the be-all and end-all.

“He was picked to do a specific role for us today for his energy and his ability to stretch the game, create more space, but the fact he got his goal [is great]. Jebbo’s desire to get on the end of it. I’m really pleased for him.”

Jokingly, Heckingbottom added: “He’s a great lad but I forgot how much he frustrates me. I want to slap him about a bit at times.”

In the other dugout, Nathan Jones lamented the officials for their role in Preston’s opener.

“It was a game of real, real fine margins,” the Charlton boss said. “Both teams [were] really well matched, and we got let down by a decision.

“The first goal, it was always going to be about the first goal, and we got let down by the officials. They went down the other end and scored and that’s my real disappointment.”

Asked to elaborate on the decision, Jones said: “Reece [Burke] headed it on to their guy. It’s gone out. It’s clear and they’ve given [the throw] the other way. They throw it quickly, they go down the other end and they score.

“The fourth official is standing in the same position as me and can see it clearly. The linesman is there. Don’t blame the referee. He relies on people around him. All we ask is that they get simple decisions right.

“If we’d been beaten by a wonderful team and a wonderful goal then we’ll take it but that wasn’t the case today.”

Jones was given a yellow card during the match for his conduct on the sidelines, which he disputed.

He said: “It’s easy for [the officials] to do whatever they want. They can cost us the game. They can make decisions that contribute heavily to us losing the game but I’m the one that gets punished.”