​Potters had done their homework on us and deservedly took all the points, says PNE supporter Tim Mercer

The first half in particular was yet another opening 45 minutes to be quickly forgotten: a phrase this fan has been forced to repeat on several occasions this season.

However, unlike some of those other matches there was not enough of a turnaround and it came as no surprise to see Stoke get the late winner that gave a large boost to their survival hopes at the other end of the table. Ryan Lowe stuck to the lineup that has served him well of late, with the attacking pair of Emil Riis and Will Keane supported by the creative Mads Frökjaer just in behind.

Unfortunately it was not one of Frokjaer’s better games overall, with a couple of very loose passes putting Stoke through on goal. I have no doubt that if the visitors had been at the top end of the table they would have taken at least one, if not both of those chances.

And yet, it was his peach of a cross that Milutin Osmajic deftly headed in for Preston’s equaliser in the second half just a few minutes after going behind to an unfortunate Andrew Hughes own goal. I suppose that’s the dilemma most managers have on selecting creative talent and is one that is repeated until you get to the top elites in any of the major leagues.

Following the large summer investment in a multimillion pound squad, the arrival of the Potters in the relegation places at this stage in the season would have surprised most and yet it showed in that dire first half when they missed at least two clear-cut chances.

Nonetheless, they had done their homework on Preston’s recent successful formation and effectively cancelled it out. With the Lilywhites unable to change or step up a gear it gave them the baseline they needed to grab three points.

It is not the first time this season that Lowe has been accused of not being able to ‘think on his feet’ and is something he will need to develop if he is going to take himself as a manager - and Preston as a team forward to the next level for a serious tilt at the top six.

The season is not over yet, but only another run similar to that prior to Saturday’s will give us a realistic chance of extending the season beyond May 4.