Preston North End boss reveals unique secret behind Stoke win and why Alan Browne was on set pieces

North End were victorious on Monday against former boss Alex Neil and his Stoke City side, with Ched Evan’s header in the dying minutes the difference in the match.

After a run of defeats, seeing PNE drop into the bottom half of the table, it could have been easy for Lowe to change his approach. In the end, there seemed to be just one thing they did differently before securing an important three points.

He said: “Sometimes you try and change things but then you think no. I don't want to do something that I'm not used to doing. The lads had apple crumble and custard last night after tea so maybe that's the effect it had, maybe we should keep that!

"We've been drumming it into the lads, after the West Brom game, for all their chances and opportunities, we gifted them two goals. I said to the lads 'first and foremost get back to basics and compete.'

"We worked on some stuff in and out of possession a little bit more live than we usually do but we didn't really change anything. We stuck to the game plan which we put together to go to Stoke and get a result which we did.”

Alan Browne delivered the corner that Evans flicked onto the far post and in off the upright, which was away from the norm when it came to set piece takers.

Normally Ben Whiteman is the one tasked with delivering the ball but Lowe instead looked to use that to his adavantage.

He said: “Ben Whiteman has got a lot of quality but it's for the opposition really, are they then thinking why's he going out to take it? Is Ben Whiteman looking to do something a little bit different?

"It's just trying to be a little bit smarter to be honest with you. Browney put a couple in last week in the first two days of training and they were whipped right in so we felt Whitey has a good deeper, driven one and if Browney could just get that near post one it gives us an opportunity and it did.”