Preston North End man highlights 'non negotiable' for team ahead of 'huge' Bristol City game

Ali McCann won't quite be up against someone of Cole Palmer's quality this weekend, but the Preston North End man knows he and his team mates simply must turn up.

The Northern Ireland international - five days on from the FA Cup exit at Stamford Bridge - can afford a slight joke about getting 'chopped', four times in the first half, by the vibrant Palmer. On the whole though, McCann equipped himself as admirably as anyone - with him the PNE player tasked with marking the former Manchester City star.

It's now league business against Bristol City on Saturday - at Deepdale - as North End look to bounce back from successive league defeats. The bigger picture, though, is the desperate need for form to improve - with it four wins from Preston's last 19 games. Liam Manning's side stand in PNE's way and McCann feels the Lilywhites must bring intensity to the table.

"Yeah, I think so," said McCann. "I think, if you look at the games we have won and lost, the aggression and intensity is massive for us. It's how we kind of need to be to win games at this level, so if you drop a few percent you end up getting beat. It's one of those where we need to be right at it and on the front foot, because more often than not we win games when we are."

And whether there is any excuse for that not to be there, he said: "Not really no, to be honest. It is difficult over the Christmas period, with the amount of games and that sort of thing. But, this weekend particularly and in the coming weeks, we've not got too many midweek games, so it's got to be there every single game. It's a sort of non negotiable.

"We said after the Chelsea game that the whole week leading up to this, the focus has got to be on getting our season back on track. So yeah, I think it's a huge game and we are ready to go and try get three points. We'll be going into it fresh. There has just been too many occasions where we've not been at it. It's one of them where we need to string a couple of results together and then go from there. The players are fully aware it's been up and down too often."

Prior to the trip down to Chelsea, McCann extended his Preston contract - which was set to expire in the summer of 2025 - until 2027. The decision was a no brainer for a player who feels firmly at home and is just focused on getting better every day in a PNE shirt.

"Yeah, I am fully settled here and it's been two-and-a-half years," he said. "It has flown by and I was just delighted to get everything sorted, so I can look forward to the next couple. When you surround yourself with the players we've had and have got now, it just elevates you as a player.

"I have definitely improved, so hopefully it just carries on. Who have I learned from the most? Probably Browney, because he has been here for nine or ten years now. It's probably him, as the captain. He has played so many games and is a great role model around here."