Paul Heckingbottom was keen for Preston to win the marathon penalty shootout

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Paul Heckingbottom says his will to win grew with each penalty as Preston narrowly beat Fulham 16-15 on penalties in a remarkable Carabao Cup clash at Deepdale.

After a 1-1 draw in normal time, Timothy Castagne overshot the pitch and Ryan Ledson sent Steven Benda the wrong way, much to the delight of the North End fans.

Heckingbottom said: “The longer the game went on (8-8, 9-9), the more determined I became to win the game because of the effort and dedication I had put in to get to the penalty shootout.

“We were the team that tried to take the game to penalties, especially in injury time.

“I have never been involved in a penalty shootout like this before. I was also told that it is the longest in the competition. It was a great atmosphere. We are looking forward to the draw but we have to put it aside for now, we have other things to focus on now.”

On the game itself, Heckingbottom added: “They had their moments. Freddie (Woodman) was very good again, but the team in front of him protected him very well again. Three times in the first half it was the last defensive tactic, but we also had our moments.”

“In the second half, we had less and less as the game went on. Fulham were great on the ball and caused us problems, but we were prepared for it.”

Ledson, not exactly known for his goal-scoring ability, scored his second goal in two cup games this season with a magnificent volley in the 35th minute.

On his first start for the Cottagers, Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson equalised just after the hour mark by converting a cross from former Tottenham player Ryan Sessegnon.

“I think he is making progress,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said of Sessegnon.

“He’s getting better. It was a very good game from him. He kept his cool from the first to the last minute. Always up and down (the pitch). Strong defensively and of course we know that he can be decisive with quality.”

“It wasn’t just the goal. Most of our chances resulted from his decisions in attack and of course we have to be happy for him.”

“He will be a really useful player for us. He already is, but he is getting better and better. It is important for him to get the right confidence because we all know what qualities he has.”

Commenting on the game, Silva added: “From the first minute we took control of the game and I think we created enough chances to score more goals. That’s the situation.”