Browne: PNE are ready to get going

The Lilywhites are yet to get off the mark after defeats to Reading, Fulham and Derby.

They now have successive away league games to come at Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich – sandwiching a home EFL Cup clash with Oldham.

Midfielder Browne said: “It is a tough one to take when you look at the table and see three defeats in a row.

“The Derby defeat was the hardest one to take, considering we had some good possession and created chances.

“We’ve got to get ourselves into a position where we take our chances, that will help us relax – get that bit of luck.

“In training we have been working on a few different things, putting a few pieces of our game together.

“It’s not been quite coming off for us at the moment but it could just take one good result to kickstart us.

“The Championship is an up-and-down division, teams have good runs and bad runs.

“There is no reason why we can’t get ourselves heading in the right direction and further up the table.

“It was disappointing that we didn’t get anything out of the Derby game, give the fans the result they wanted.

“We had some good spells in the game and overall, we were happy with the performance.

“All three defeats have been by a one-goal margin, so it’s a case of tightening up at our end and taking chances at the other.

“We are away for the next two league games and it would be nice to get good results in those going into the international break.”

Browne did not blame the impending sale of Joe Garner to Rangers for the poor start.

Garner did not feature in the Derby game, while he played against Fulham last Saturday amid speculation linking him with a move to Scotland.

He was due in Glasgow for a medical today and to begin talking personal terms with the Ibrox outfit.

“No one really thought about it, you put things like that to the back of your mind,” said Browne.

“Joe was in the other day to say his farewells and we wished him all the best.

“He’s been a great player for us and will be a big loss.

“But we’ve got to get on with it and play to our potential.

“I don’t know what the gaffer is going to do but I have every confidence in any of our strikers slotting in.”

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn have been linked with PNE skipper Tom Clarke.

But North End sources say there has been no contact from any club with regards to the defender.

Clarke is one of a dozen or so of the Preston squad who are in the final year of their current contracts.

Some of them have been offered new deals this week, with the club hopeful of positive responses over the coming days.