New Plymouth manager Paul Mariner found some reasons for optimism despite seeing his side lose 2-0 at Preston.
Plymouth's second-half domination saw them force goalkeeper Andy Lonergan into a handful of crucial saves, but the home side held out for the win.
Mariner said: "The players have been absolutely incredible. I'm used to winning, I love winning, but what I saw put a smile on the faces of the supporters who travelled a great distance to watch the game. It definitely put a spring in the step of the players."
He added: "We devised a system that will suit the players and we worked on it for an hour. When we went in at half-time I was completely honest with the players. I thought we needed a little more quality on the ball.
"They responded magnificently and the second half was a joy. I saw players playing with incredible energy and passion. The passing was good technically, everything was coming together. We put Preston under a great deal of pressure.
"But the way we conceded the two goals was very poor, almost schoolboy errors. I think the one thing we must remember is that the second-half performance was quite excellent and I thought we gave them some concerns."
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