Every word Paul Heckingbottom said on missing man against Stoke City, Preston North End set-pieces and more

On the absence of Andrew Hughes from the squad

“Hughesy has got a little hernia which kept him out,” said Heckingbottom. “He was on the bench the other night but felt it in the warm-up, so we weren't going to use him. We'll be using him, but his symptoms are still there. I want to use him until the end of the season and we'll get things sorted out as quick as we can come the end of the season, because it's something we can manage, something you can play with. Most footballers will have had them at some point or other. A bit like Liam, when he was playing with it and then we tried to fix it in the international break, and he's fully recovered.”

On starting Emil Riis and Milutin Osmajic for the first time together

“Yeah, one's been out and one's been in... we've never had them both together,” said Heckinbottom. “And then when we did, we were playing well with a different system and shape. We've not had a chance to work on it, them two, but felt it was right today and I still think it was right. They just needed to be better. When you're playing with the front two, you want to use them and play into them so you've got to be able to hold the ball.

“We had two-v-two moments against their centre-backs all the first half. One or two times we turned the pass down. Other times, yeah, just working on that. We wanted to pin them and be big targets and play into them. So that's an area where we could have been better first half and we wanted to be better in the start of the second half, but it wasn't to be.”

On Lewis Gibson’s performances at left centre-back

“Yeah, his performance has definitely been better in the middle,” said Heckingbottom. “But you saw towards the end a bit when he stepped right in from left centre-back and drove through the middle of the pitch, that's what we want. He needs to adjust and show his qualities in that role. We're not asking him to play that role like anybody else; we're asking him to show his qualities in that role.

“I think when he first came in he was quickly in as that middle centre-back, but you saw in that moment there what he can do, how comfortable he is on the ball and that's what we like. He's not playing safe, just opening out and giving the ball to Robbie. He saw a gap, he drove, played into the front man and all of a sudden we're 30 yards from their goal.”

On PNE’s set-pieces

“We're not getting enough,” said Heckingbottom. “Middle of the table for goals scored, set plays, expected goals, and I'd love to be at the top. But we're bottom of the table for the amount of corners that we get. So actually, we're performing alright for the number we get. But when you're on top and you've got that much momentum, like Stoke... I don't know how many corners they had compared to us, but in a game like today, we don't have that much momentum and we don't create enough chances from corners, because we don't get enough numbers.

“(It’s getting) further up the pitch, yeah. I said it the other night, - 1v1 players in those areas when you're on top and you've got players who like to get to the byline and take it... that's how you do it. Centre forwards will link play, hold the ball up, then you get runners off them and you're continually playing in their third of the pitch. But when you're not, you're not that style, that's not your style or style of the team, you're not going to get as many numbers as it is.”

Your next PNE read: 'I thought we were better' - Mark Robins on drawing with Preston