‘That will come’ - Thierry Small optimistic despite Preston North End’s start to the season
It’s his second season at Deepdale.
Thierry Small says he and the Preston North End squad are staying positive despite a poor start to the season.
PNE have lost five of their opening six Championship games and are bottom of the second tier.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom believes his team will very soon turn their form around, and that belief is echoed by Small.
Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of their game against Lincoln City this weekend, he said: “It's not the most ideal situation that we're in.
“Obviously, we brought in new signings at the end of the window, so everyone's still gelling.
“Performances have still been good, in terms of our actual performance on the pitch. We just haven't got the final points over the line, but that will come. We're not worried.
“We know that we've got a tight group, and as long as we keep the team around high, which it is, the results will come, definitely, and we trust in each other and we trust in the manager.”
He added to the Lancashire Post: “Sometimes your performances can be at a good level, but you're just missing that final cutting edge. But, it's going to happen.
“We've got great players, we’re all optimistic. We need time to gel, time to work and we will definitely start seeing the results come through.”
Many of the goals conceded by North End this season have been through individual errors, which Small says is something players simply have to move on from.
“Errors are part of the game. I remember, even me last season, I had an error against QPR.
“The way you cope with it is just take it game after game. You're going to have high moments in football, you're going to have low moments in football.
“It sounds cliche, but you do have to stay neutral because at the end of the day, you're never going to get everything perfect, you're never going to play perfect all the time.
“As long as you're trying your best, you're working hard and you're doing the right things, naturally things will turn good.
“We're professionals for a reason, so we know how to handle moments, good or bad. It's part of the game. We want to cut as many errors as we can out, but it's part of football and we bounce back from them.”
Small suffered an injury setback during pre-season and has only started once so far in this campaign, that being in the Carabao Cup against Everton, but has featured five more times off the bench.
Reflecting on this season, the one before and the time in-between, Small says he is continuing to push himself and hopes he can improve while at the club.
“I'm 22. I've still got hopefully many more years in my career to go, so I'd say I'm at the start of it in terms of playing regularly.”
“Of course, I've still got a lot to improve and a lot to learn, but I'm definitely a player and a person that takes on everything on board and I want to get better and I want to do the right thing.
“Last season started really well, I was still getting used to the Championship in terms of game after game and your body adapting to stuff, but definitely something I couldn’t do. So, just looking to build this season.”
He continued: “Obviously, my pre-season was a little bit short, just in terms of injury. But I'm getting back there and basically almost there now.
“So, for me, it's just working my way back into the team and hopefully just trying to help the team pick up some results and just make sure that my performances are at a level so that the manager is happy with me.”
[The injury] was not ideal, obviously, because I take great pride in keeping myself available, and making sure that my body is nice and healthy and fit to make sure I'm available for every game.
“Injuries are part of football and it's just something that you've got to just take on the chin.
“I'm just lucky that it's not a long-term injury and that I can just bounce back fairly quickly.“
He added to the Lancashire Post: “We’ve gone back to the five [at the back], so I’ve got a role and a position that I know very well but I'm comfortable wherever the manager wants to play me.
“I try my best at it and just build his trust and just try and be the best version of myself when I get my opportunity to play.”