Grayson hails unlikely hero

Preston boss Simon Grayson hailed unlikely match-winner Paul Huntington's determination after a 1-0 win at Gillingham.

The 27-year-old appeared at the back post on the hour-mark to head home Chris Humphrey's cross - his first goal since December 2013 - and give his side their fifth straight league win. Huntington was linked with a move away from Deepdale in the summer but instead opted to fight for his place in a side tipped for promotion. And Grayson insists the result Huntington helped earn could be all the difference at the business end of the season. "It was always going to be a tough night," said Grayson. "They tested us with balls in the box. We had to earn the right to win this game, and we did. "We battled and scrapped when we had to, we got into areas where we could hurt them. "He [Paul Huntington] is somebody we don't really expect to score. He's not played a lot over the last year, but he's trained ever so hard for us. "We've had opportunities to let him go out on loan, but we've kept him around and everything thrown at him he defended. The goal was a bonus. "I'm delighted that we've got another three points. We said to the players beforehand that nights like this can go a long way to getting where we want to get to." Preston hit the woodwork no less than four times with Joe Garner heading against the crossbar after 11 minutes before Jack King, Callum Robinson and Paul Gallagher all struck the frame of the goal. After Huntington's header, Gillingham could have snatched an unlikely draw but Preston goalkeeper Jamie Jones saved brilliantly from both Danny Kedwell and Cody McDonald to secure the points. While Gills boss Peter Taylor was encouraged by the performance against tough opposition, he admits his side must start earning points for their efforts. "Preston are one of the favourites for automatic promotion, and having played like that against such opposition the way we did for an hour, you are pleased," said Taylor. "Afterwards maybe we were a touch tired, maybe we lost belief. Their goal was not fantastic, I felt we should have dealt with it. "You need to take chances when you have them. I asked the players to have a go, and they did that. But if you switch off for one second, Preston have players who can punish you, which they did. "We played well against Coventry and Notts County and we came away with nothing there either, that's what happens in this game. "If you haven't won in six matches, then people will lack confidence, that's sport. The run we're on at the minute is not good enough."