Ryan Lowe’s Preston returned to the top of the Championship table after their 2-1 victory over the Pilgrims at Deepdale

Steven Schumacher was ‘proud and pleased’ with Plymouth Argyle’s performance even though they were beaten 2-1 by Preston North End at Deepdale.

In their reunion with former manager Ryan Lowe, the Pilgrims had most of the possession and goal attempts during the game but still slipped to their third defeat in six Championship games at the start of the season – all by the same scoreline.

It was a result which left Preston at the top of the table with five wins and 16 points while Argyle are in 13th position with seven points.

Preston had the perfect start by opening the scoring within 40 seconds of the kick-off through Duane Holmes and Liam Millar later made it 2-0 in the 25th minute.

However, Argyle improved towards the end of the first half and were much the better side in the second period, roared on by the massed ranks of a 2,500-strong Green Army.

Ryan Hardie did reduce the Pilgrims’ deficit in the 61st minute with his fifth goal in six Championship games this term but they could not come up with an equaliser despite applying plemty of pressure.

Schumacher said: “I’m obviously disappointed to lose the game. I felt our performance probably didn’t deserve to lose the game. We have come away from home again, we have played really well and caused the top of the table team in Preston North End loads of problems and found ourselves coming away with nothing.

“So I’m really disappointed but I’m also proud and pleased with the players’ performance because we were brave today. Even after going one-nil down after 40 seconds we were brave to keep playing, and we were more than a game for these (Preston).

“Preston are a really difficult team to score against, that’s why they have only conceded four all season – two from open play – but I don’t know whether they have had many games this season where the opposition have created as many chances as we did.

“But credit to them, credit to Ryan and his staff, for getting them organised, they get people in the way. They block shots, they block crosses, they put their body on the line and they have got a top goalie (Freddie Woodman).

“We did everything we possibly could and it just wasn’t our day. Sometimes that happens but we won’t be too disappointed. I feel if we continue to play this way and keep creating the opportunities that we do then our first win away from home won’t be far away.”

Schumacher added: “I feel as though we got into some really good areas and didn’t make the right decisions. There was a couple of crosses that weren’t the correct crosses that we should have played, a couple of decisions with through balls, and chances that we would expect the quality we have got on the pitch to take, so a bit frustrated.

“But, again, I can’t fault what we are doing. I think if we keep getting in these areas and keep creating the opportunities we know the goals will go in.”

Schumacher made two changes to Argyle’s starting line-up from their last game before the first international break of the season, the 3-0 win against Blackburn Rovers at Home Park on September 2.

Mickel Miller and Luke Cundle were brought into the side, with Joe Edwards and Adam Randell among the substitutes instead.

Miller lined up at left-back with Kaine Kesler-Hayden moving to the opposite side while Cundle, the loan signing from Wolves, took over in the central midfield from Randell.

With Edwards on the bench Argyle were captained by Jordan Houghton as they went in search of a first win at Deepdale since 1998.

Lowe, meanwhile, gave debuts to his transfer deadline day signings Millar, who is on loan from Swiss top flight club FC Basel, and striker Milutin Osmajic.

The Montenegro international joined Preston from Cadiz in Spain for an undisclosed club record transfer fee on a four-year contract.

North End were without their four-goal top scorer Will Keane, who suffered a groin injury while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland and was not risked against Argyle.

Around 2,500 members of the Green Army made the long trip to Lancashire and gave Argyle a great ovation before the kick-off.

Schumacher and Lowe hugged each other as they greeted each other by the respective dug-outs before their friendship was temporarily put on hold.

Lowe was soon celebrating as his side opened the scoring inside the opening 40 seconds. Millar went past Kesler-Hayden and when goalkeeper Conor Hazard could not claim his cross it was finished off from close range by Holmes.

Argyle had to survive a few shaky moments after conceding that very early goal before Bali Mumba had a fierce angled shot pushed away for a corner by Freddie Woodman at his near post.

Millar was proving to be a problem for Kesler-Hayden to contain and from one pass from the Preston debutant there was a chance for Ryan Ledson to score with a curling shot from outside the box which was not far wide.

The game became stop-start with fouls from both sides, which led to a booking for Argyle left-back Miller as well as Ledson after a heavy challenge on Finn Azaz.

Woodman was called into the action when a threatening low cross was fired in from the right by Hardie but before the ball could reach Mumba it was touched away by the keeper as he dived forward at full stretch.

Preston then doubled their lead in the 25th minute when Millar got the ball in an advanced position again and cut inside onto his right foot before beating Hazard with a shot into the far corner of the net.

That left the Pilgrims with a huge task ahead of them but they had a great opportunity to reduce their deficit in the 36th minute when Azaz played Kesler-Hayden through but his strike was excellently blocked by Woodman.

The Preston keeper later spilled a shot from Morgan Whittaker but Ali McCann put the ball out for a corner before Azaz could get there to slot home.

Argyle had played some good attacking football during the first half but crucially they could not come up with a finishing touch in front of goal and trailed 2-0 at the interval despite dominating the possession.

The visitors played towards the massed ranks of the Green Army in the Bill Shankly Kop in the second period and Azaz sent a curling attempt wide of Woodman’s left post early on.

Whittaker was then denied a goal twice from the same attack as his initial shot was blocked and when the rebound dropped to him his follow-up attempt was deflected over the crossbar.

There was another near miss for Whittaker soon afterwards with a low drive which went the wrong side of the post from a Pilgrims’ perspective as they continued to take the game to Preston and force them back.

Their efforts were rewarded when Hardie scored in the 61st minute with his fifth goal in six Championship games this season.

Hardie was set up for the chance by Cundle and came up with a clinical low finish past Woodman, to the delight of the ecstatic Green Army behind the goal.

Preston almost restored their two-goal lead soon afterwards when Osmajic got in a far post header but somehow the ball was clawed away from the target by Hazard.

Callum Wright was a 68th minute Argyle substitute for Miller as Kesler-Hayden moved to left-back and Mumba went to left-back.

Preston’s Brad Potts had a low drive rebound off a post before Schumacher sent on Randell for Cundle in a straight swap in central midfield.

Kesler-Hayden did well to deflect a shot from Millar away for a corner after a Preston counter attack but the Pilgrims kept pushing forward in pursuit of an equaliser.

Schumacher then made a triple substitution in the 85th minute with Dan Scarr, Tyreik Wright and Ben Waine sent on for Julio Pleguezuelo, Whittaker and Houghton.

Referee Gavin Ward added on seven extra minutes but Argyle could not come up with a goal which would have prevented a third 2-1 defeat for them in six Championship games at the start of the season.

ARGYLE: Conor Hazard; Kaine Kesler-Hazard, Julio Pleguezuelo (Dan Scarr 85 mins), Lewis Gibson, Mickel Miller (Callum Wright 68 mins); Luke Cundle (Adam Randell 73 mins), Jordan Houghton (Ben Waine 85 mins), Finn Azaz; Morgan Whittaker (Tyreik Wright 85 mins), Ryan Hardie, Bali Mumba.

Substitutes: Callum Burton, Matt Butcher, Joe Edwards, Lewis Warrington.

PRESTON: Freddie Woodman; Jordan Storey, Liam Lindsay, Andrew Hughes (Jack Whatmough 63 mins); Brad Potts, Ali McCann, Ryan Ledson (Ben Whiteman 60 mins), Liam Millar; Duane Holmes, Alan Browne (Mads Frokjaer h/t); Milutin Osmajic (Robbie Brady 75 mins).

Substitutes: Dai Cornell, Greg Cunningham, Layton Stewart, Ben Woodburn, Kian Best.

REFEREE: Gavin Ward