Four talking points as Preston North End beaten 4-2 by slick and sharp Ipswich Town

Defensive woes

Narratives can easily build in football and sometimes unfairly, but there’s no getting away from the fact Preston North End have conceded 11 goals in their last three games. That, regardless of the teams faced, is desperately poor. The Lilywhites will be keen to get back to basics when they return to action on October 21st. North End were thumped by West Brom, but defended extremely well for an hour at Leicester - whose far superior quality ultimately told. At Ipswich, though, you could not excuse the goals PNE conceded.

Preston had been prepared for the corner routine which led to the opener, but Conor Chaplin got the run on Alan Browne before unleashing his ferocious strike. Brandon Williams then seemingly had a forcefield around him, as he glided forward before scoring Ipswich’s second. The ease at Ipswich’s third was equally as disappointing, with a succession of aerial duels lost and Nathan Broadhead left all alone. The goal to secure it, from Kayden Jackson, was played out in slow motion - something you could see coming from a mile away, as soon as Ipswich nicked the ball.

Preston were powerless to preventing it. With Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes - Preston’s two most mobile defenders - missing, the hosts didn’t half cause problems. Jack Whatmough’s withdrawal from the contest on 27 minutes made life more challenging, with Patrick Bauer having to slot in at an unnatural position of right centre-back. North End really could’ve done with Hughes and Storey, or at least one of them. Lowe didn’t want to use that as an excuse, mind.

“Yeah, but Greg has been fantastic I think,” he said. “To come back from that injury, not play many games and then go back-to-back, he has been a top pro and I will continue to do that (utilise the squad). And Jack Whatmough coming in, playing right side first off and in the middle of a back two. Again, you are going to miss key players aren't you? But you cannot grumble about it, you've just got to get on with it."

Lowe’s selection

It was certainly intriguing and one the PNE boss put down to rotation, given the workload of his players at Leicester. Ben Whiteman was back on the bench along with livewires Duane Holmes and Liam Millar. With Preston facing a mountain to climb at 3-1 down, Lowe introduced all three of those players at the break. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but North End were significantly better with those three on the field.

Club captain Alan Browne was taken off at the interval, with PNE’s manager holding his hands up and admitting the skipper should not have started the game - after missing the midweek game through illness. That is front-up honesty from the North End boss but not a great look at all. This was the last match before the international break and one where selection and game plan would be absolutely key. Preston left themselves with too much to do in the second half and were left to rue a first 45 in which far too much went wrong.

In contrast to Wednesday, when PNE negotiated the first hour effectively, Lowe’s side were wide open and shot themselves in the foot. Lowe also tried partnering Milutin Osmajic and Will Keane for the first time in attack. And while the former had a golden chance to score at 2-1, the pair didn’t quite click as hoped and Osmajic was hooked at half-time. Lowe’s box midfield worked a treat at the start of the season and the Liverpudlian now needs to find the right formula once again.

Ipswich’s constant threat

It is probably worth noting that North End were up against a team who score for fun on their own patch; Kieran McKenna’s side having now scored two plus goals in their last 17 outings at Portman Road. Remarkable. North End never found an answer to Ipswich’s potency; it was heart in mouth every time the blue shirts poured forward. The Tractor Boys are a force to be reckoned with and time will tell whether they can sustain it, but they aren’t half entertaining - as well as admirably brave and exceptionally drilled. The home side, on Saturday, had attacking talent in abundance and it was too much for Preston’s much changed defence. They are clearly coached expertly, with McKenna taking several players who’ve had steady EFL careers to complete new heights.

PNE have done a lot of good things so far this campign and sitting third in the table after 11 games is not to be sniffed at. But, in the last 180 minutes, they have gone up against two top opponents and looked a level below. There shouldn’t be any real surprise at that; the vast majority of the Deepdale faithful surely did not expect a promotion push this season. Luton showed last year that you can compete at the summit with a different style and that should be continued motivation for Preston, who will perhaps view the last three games as a missed opportunity to really make everyone stand up and take notice of them. Back to the drawing board it is.

Mads’ moment as ‘streetwise’ message sent

After failing to get off the bench at all in midweek, Mads Frokjaer was handed a start in East Anglia. He operated in the number 10 role with PNE playing in a 3-4-1-2 formation to begin with. The Championship is a different animal to what the Dane has been used to, but his quality and technique is clear for all to see. He is someone who needs to be nurtured, coached and developed because the talent is there, he offers something different and, not forgetting, Preston paid a decent wedge to land him. He took his goal impressively and rightly lapped up the celebrations with away fans.

"Yeah, well that's a bit more him," said Lowe, on Frokjaer’s afternoon. "He obviously tired towards the end, which is something we'll have to look at with him and I know it's tough for the lads who aren't coming on and playing. He went off with cramp, but he did what Mads does - got himself a goal, put himself about and showed a bit of quality on the ball. He has got to get streetwise and a bit more savvy for this Championship - him and Milutin.”