We may have lost the battle at Preston but the main thing is that we won the war. Our results overall mean we have managed to secure our place in League 1 and that can only be good for the long-term future of the club.

We are heading into this weekend hoping to finish on 55 points and 15th in the league and that would be the club’s highest position in recent years, so that’s progress.

Preston are a good team and we said that before the game. We got back into Saturday’s game, after falling behind, with a goal from Cody McDonald and we dominated for the last 20 minutes of the first half, which their staff admitted afterwards.

Unfortunately for us they stepped it up a couple of levels in the second half, as one goal gave them the momentum back.

It was disappointing not to get anything from the game but afterwards, when we saw how the other results went, that took the sting off it a bit as it meant we were safe.

Shrewsbury arrive on Saturday in what will be our last game of the season.

Relegation was confirmed for them last weekend, just two years after winning promotion from League 2. It shows what can happen if you take a breather. People will go past you.

I always remember those long runs we did on Lincoln Common during my playing days. It would have been so easy to stop and take a breather, as we climbed the hills, but that’s when you get caught and overtaken. You can’t afford to ever stop in this game.