All the main headlines from Alex Neil's press conference ahead of Preston North End's trip to Hull

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Below is a round-up of the main highlights as the Lilywhites look to move away from the wrong end of the table at the expense of the Championship's bottom side.

Squad…

The squad is looking good. We got some more minutes in Sean Maguire's legs while he’s been away with Ireland which is good. The Ireland lads had limited game time as well which is also good for us. The others lads have trained really well so we’re in good shape.

International break…

Although we won against Wigan and momentum can work in your favour the break will have done us good. Mentally we came away from the last game in a good place and we’ve been able to work through a few knocks and niggles. It probably came at a good time.

Building on Wigan...

After the last game we’re hoping the balance is a bit better. We didn’t make any rash decisions or mistakes which also helps us. We want to try and build on that. We’ve not started the season as well as we would have liked but we’re starting to get a more consistent team on the pitch.

Games to come...

We want to put a good run together. We’ve got a batch of eight games coming up where we want to get as many points as we can to put ourselves in a position where we can go and attack the second half of the season.

Hull...

I think it’s going to be a game initially with a lot of effort and endeavour. Both teams will understand it’s an important game because of where we are in the league. We’ve got to remove that from our heads though. It’s so early in the season and it’s just another three points. We need to be composed and calm.

Sean Maguire…

You want to try and get your key players on the pitch as quickly as possible but you don’t want to force them back and have them break down because all that hard work in anticipation of them coming back is then ruined and wasted. You’ve got to find the right balance which I think we’ve done well in the past.

Ben Pearson…

One of the biggest disappointments in terms of consistency is Ben Pearson missing this game suspended again which is really frustrating because just as we think we’re getting players back another key one is out. That’s certainly something we’re hoping is going to improve over the season.

Ryan Ledson…

He should be okay. He had a problem with his ankle which is why he missed Wigan but he’s trained all this week.

Josh Harrop…

He had his operation yesterday and it was routine and a success. He’ll be getting his rehab started as soon as he can.