'We've just' - Ryan Lowe fires Preston North End squad message as Southampton await after Norwich City blow

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe takes encouragement from his team’s effort this season, but won’t be settling for it.

The Lilywhites, barring a four game miracle, crashed out of the play-off race after defeat to Norwich City last weekend. In a game PNE needed to win, to close the gap on the sixth placed Canaries, Gabriel Sara netted the only goal of the game - with four minutes to play at Deepdale.

North End have always been outside the top six, but within touching distance for the majority of the calendar year. The gap to Norwich is now eight points, with one game in hand to play - away to Southampton on Tuesday night. Lowe, on the whole, believes forward strides have been taken in his second full season and knows he and his team must stay on that upwards trajectory.

“There’s loads of confidence,” said Lowe. “You have some bumps in the road, with where you want to get to - but I’ve always had belief in the group of players. They are a fantastic group and they are hurting in there. I don’t want anyone moaning or sulking; there are still points to play for and we want to get as many as we can. The progress is there and we can take big confidence from it, but it’s alright taking it now - towards the end of the season.

“We have got to regroup again, finish the next four games and we will then have a look at what might be able to help us for the following season. We will keep climbing and keep trying. We know it’s a tough league. To be competing with those type of teams and staying in the mix is pleasing, we’ve just fallen a little bit short.”

Lowe added: “It’s out of our hands, as it always has been really. We gave ourselves a fighting chance to creep in there and I tell you now, we were expecting 71 points might’ve got us in. It is probably going to be more than that. West Brom and Norwich are pulling away and it’s going to be tough - 74/75 would’ve done it. That’s probably out of our reach, with the games we’ve got.

“But, you never say never and we’ve got to collect as many as we can. We are on the same points as last season, with four games to go. All four are very, very tough, so what we’ve got to do is recover the lads and put a game plan together for another tough game against Southampton. There is no time to sulk, we’ve got to pick them up and go again.”