Simon Grayson impressed with Preston North End defending at Chesterfield

Preston North End manager Simon Grayson has praised his side's defensive qualities after they claimed a 1-0 win away at Chesterfield in the first leg of their League One playoff semi-final.

Jermaine Beckford scored in just the sixth minute for Grayson's side, and they defended for much of the second half to preserve their slender lead.

Grayson told Sky Sports News: "We had to defend well as a team and work extremely hard. We had some opportunities on the counter-attack, which we knew we'd get because of the strikeforce we've got. It's nice to have a goal to take back to Deepdale.

"It was a feisty encounter - there were a few tackles flying in and both teams were having a right good go, but credit to Chesterfield for making it a good game, as we did. Overall we're satisfied but we've still got a job to do."

The second leg takes place at Deepdale on Sunday.