New Preston boss Ryan Lowe to take a closer inspection of squad's injury list

The PNE boss was set to be without a handful of players for his first game in charge against Barnsley today.

Lowe thinks he’s got the depth of squad to cover those out of action but wants to see the treatment room rather quieter as time goes on.

Injuries will always form part of the game, Tom Barkhuizen for example suffering an ankle injury after being on the receiving end of a bad tackle against Fulham a fortnight ago.

Lowe said: “Matt Jackson is a top physio and he’s had his work cut out of late with so many injuries.

“We need to try and nullify those injuries.

“Myself and Mike Marsh have had a chat about it and I’m going to sit down with Jacko when we have a clear week and discuss what these injuries are.

“All players get injuries at some stage, I don’t think I played a game fully fit, especially later in my career.

“If it’s a muscle injury, it’s a muscle. If it’s knocks and bruises sometimes you need lads to put bodies on the line.

“We have a big enough squad but ideally you want everyone fit.

“Sometimes you have to get into one or two people’s minds about injuries and deal with things that way.”

Another of Lowe’s tasks in the next couple of weeks will be getting to know more about the North End players’ personalities.

He thinks it is important to know what makes them tick off the pitch as well as on it.

Said Lowe: “I like to get amongst the lads, I want to get in the dressing room, speak about their families, what they do off the field.

“Do they play golf, are they into tennis, do they watch the cricket?

“I want to know a lot more about them and in a few more weeks I will do.

“I’m a people person, I want to galvanise groups.

“I’ve told the players that I’m a phone call away if they want me, or a text.

“On Wednesday when the lads were due to be off but I called them in, Connor Wickham was supposed to get the train down to London to watch his lad in a school play.

“I told him to go and see the play and he was made up.

“His little lad was being an elf in the play and winking at his dad from the stage.

“If Connor hadn’t have been there for that, it would have broken my heart.

“I’ve only known Connor for two minutes but it was the right thing.

“Galvanising squads and team-mates is important.

“I’ve been a captain and vice-captain, I was the one who organised the Christmas nights out as a player.”

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