Preston North End 2 Barnsley 1: Dave Seddon's verdict - Ryan Lowe strikes the right note in his first game in charge of PNE

The new Lilywhites boss wasn’t wrong, even with just three training sessions with the players to get his message across.

It will take Lowe a good while longer to fully make his mark but these were promising beginnings as PNE got the better of Barnsley.

They moved the ball with more purpose and fluency, the attacking intent was there for all to see.

North End had 60% of the possession, their joint best share of the ball this season.

The last time they had that much was the miserable 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last month.

They hardly laid a glove on Forest with possession, this time it was so different.

It produced 16 shots, four of them on target – Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson with the two that counted.

The midfield duo seemed to particularly benefit from Lowe’s ideology.

They were given roles in the attacking six – two strikers, the two wing-backs and the advanced midfielders.

Ben Whiteman sat deeper to shield the back three but also to build play, a role he did very well.

Attacks had their origins in PNE’s box, Daniel Iversen encouraged to play it short and they built from there.

Not everything went to plan, nor was it expected to given the time frame.

There was a Barnsley equaliser between Browne and Johnson scoring.

Earlier in the game the visitors hit the woodwork but overall it was Lowe’s new charges in the ascendency.

Browne’s opener was just what Lowe wants, Johnson driving through the Barnsley half before playing in his skipper who took the ball into the box and finished confidently.

Lowe didn’t try to claim any credit for the winner, that a set piece routine fashioned on the training pitch during previous regimes.

It was more of a Paul Gallagher idea, one the coach had been working on with Johnson.

The key thing from Saturday is that Lowe got a victory at the first time of asking.

That box is ticked, now the task is to get wins on a more consistent basis, something which evaded Frankie McAvoy and cost him his job last Monday.

Lowe arriving as McAvoy’s replacement has been so well received by the PNE faithful.

The attendance was back up above the 11,000 mark, with more than 10,300 home fans in that figure.

They braved another wet afternoon to watch this one and were rewarded with a fifth Deepdale win of the season.

Lowe was applauded all the way on his walk from tunnel to technical area ahead of kick-off.

When formally announced over the Tannoy as he took his position pitchside, there was another big cheer.

The first side named by Lowe showed five changes and there were no surprises in terms of names.

Ali McCann’s use at right wing-back raised a few eyebrows, with Browne having looked favourite to fill that role.

The way Lowe has his wing-backs playing is different to how McAvoy did.

McCann and Josh Earl were kept high up the pitch, defensive duties down the side largely done in the main by outside centre-backs Sepp van den Berg and Andrew Hughes.

It was a totally changed back three to the one which had featured at Blackburn the week before.

Back came Patrick Bauer in the middle with Van den Berg and Hughes either side of him.

Lowe was to reveal afterwards that the Blackburn DVD hadn’t been on his watch list on the grounds he didn’t want any negativity from the derby defeat to influence his selection.

He instead chose to pick his team on what he already knew of the players and from what he’d seen in training.

Bringing Johnson back in and pairing him with Browne in the attacking midfield roles was key here.

It’s tended to be one or the other in a No.10 type role but the set-up of the midfield meant the system was more 3-1-4-2 with Johnson and Browne both encouraged to push on.

The first half North End had the better of in terms of territory but Barnsley were the closest to scoring with a Carlton Morris header which hit the bar.

Sean Maguire was caught in two minds when played down the side of the box by Van den Berg’s slide-rule pass.

He delayed shooting in the hope Emil Riis would take up a better position inside of him and when the Irishman did shoot, it was blocked.

PNE found their route to goal in the 57th minute to get the fans on their feet.

Johnson turned smartly on to a pass 10 yards inside the Barnsley half and glided across the pitch before slipping a pass to Browne.

The skipper took a touch in the box before lifting a shot between the keeper and post into the net. Not since April 24 had Browne scored, that a penalty which beat Coventry.

For a Browne goal from open play, you had to go back to last Boxing Day against Derby County.

Barnsley were level within eight minutes, Romal Palmer’s cross from the byline clipping off a Preston leg and looping across the box.

Callum Brittain’s swinger of a shot bounced off the turf and into the path of Cauley Woodrow who headed past Iversen from close range.

Lowe made a double sub in response to the goal, Ledson and Scott Sinclair coming on for McCann and Maguire.

Sinclair was fouled by Mads Andersen who earn a free-kick with 12 minutes left.

It was to the left of the box, level with the penalty spot.

PNE packed the six-yard box as a decoy, Ledson instead squaring it low to find the run of Johnson who had peeled away from the far post to come into the middle.

Johnson met the ball with a left-foot shot from 11 yards which got a deflection as it travelled into the net.

As first impressions go, this was a great afternoon for Lowe and hopefully there are many more to come.

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