Ryan Lowe has delivered an injury update for Preston North End fans ahead of their clash with Coventry City this weekend.
The Lilywhites are ninth in the Championship but are on a run of seven matches without a win, having conceded 15 goals in their last six outings. With just two points from a possible 21, Lowe’s team are tumbling down the table.
They face a Sky Blues team that travels to Deepdale currently 20th in the table, without a win in three. In terms of form, they’re doing better than their hosts, with eight points from a possible 21. On paper, it is still a clash between two struggling teams, and Lowe revealed a couple of his players are also struggling.
Defender Greg Cunningham was forced off after just half an hour of their most recent defeat, at Hull City, with Will Keane also having to leave the field early. Andrew Hughes has been missing since the 4-0 defeat against West Brom back in September, another blow to free-falling Preston. Additionally, Liverpool loanee Calvin Ramsay is yet to pull on a white jersey in anger following his temporary switch in the summer.
However, Lowe revealed some of those players are nearing fitness, although they will miss out on the visit of Mark Robins’ side this weekend.
“Hughesy is fine,” Lowe told the Lancashire Post. “He is back on the grass, and Will Keane is back on the grass; he’s alright.
“Calvin has been with us all week and is doing well; we’ve just got to keep monitoring him. Greg will be a few weeks, he’s got a strained hamstring from the weekend.
“Other than that, all good. It’s nice to have Hughesy back on the grass. He will play a bit part today (Thursday), and we’ll decide whether Saturday is too soon for him.
“Keano is fine, it was a bit of stiffness. He is alright. It was more fatigue, really; I think Keano knows his body better than most.
“He finished off his bits and bobs with the physios yesterday, and he’ll join full training today. Calvin being back is a big plus for us – so all good.”
Keane is currently the club’s leading scorer with four goals in the Championship, but he hasn’t scored since hitting a brace against Stoke in early September. Ramsay may be yet to make an appearance for Preston, but he has appeared in the Europa Conference league with former club Aberdeen, as well as turning out for Liverpool, albeit briefly, against Napoli last season.
Lowe’s side will be hoping to continue their good form against Coventry in recent season – the Sky Blues haven’t beaten Preston in the league since September 2007, and they haven’t taken maximum points from Deepdale since the turn of the century.
Writer’s View
Preston were on fire at the beginning of the season, and Lowe has to find a way to recapture that form quickly. Having key players fit is a big part of that, and Will Keane’s availability will be huge.
Ramsay is an encouraging prospect as well – he’s made his international debut for Scotland, and he should add some depth to the squad when he’s available.
The Lilywhites haven’t been awful in recent weeks – they lost to Hull and drew against Millwall and Southampton, but had better xG than the opponents in all of those games.
If they can find their touch in front of goal, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t cling onto the coattails of the top six as we enter the late autumn period.
Founder of The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
