SCOTT Parker admitted Cherries "lacked that little bit of creative spark" as they saw their record-breaking unbeaten run halted by Preston North End.

Cherries, who remain top of the Championship table, did not lose any of their opening 15 matches, but fell to a shock 2-1 defeat to Frankie McAvoy's Lilywhites at Vitality Stadium.

Philip Billing scored for the hosts, either side of fine finishes from Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann as Preston recorded their first win on the road in the league all season.

Asked what went wrong for his previously unbeaten side tonight, Cherries boss Parker told the Daily Echo: "I give credit to Preston. I thought they came here with a very good plan. Restricted spaces and we found it hard really.

"We huffed and puffed tonight. We weren’t at our clinical best, certainly in the final third, against a real flat, stubborn back five with three in front.

"We’ve come up against that before, of course we have, but we just lacked that little bit of guile and little bit of creative spark which you sometimes need to unlock a door like that.

"And then of course they get a goal in front. At that stage they’re even more disciplined, they’ve got something to hang on to. We get our noses level and the second goal is poor really from our behalf I felt.

"Overall it was below par in terms of where are standards are set in terms of performance.

"Endeavour, work-rate, effort from the players was relentless and I wouldn’t expect anything less. But certainly I felt we just lacked that little bit which we needed to unlock the door tonight."

Discussing the conversations in the dressing room after the unfamiliar feeling of defeat, Parker said: "They’re disappointed, of course they are.

"That’s game 16, they were 15 unbeaten. Of course it’s the first time they’ve faced defeat so a bit of realism, a bit of rationale behind tonight and where we are.

"A very level head in that sense and we need to now regroup.

"We need to bin this as quick as we can, while also understanding we need to go over it and learn from it and work out where we can be better in the final third or where we can do things a little bit better in those moments."