Preston North End 'massively' disappointed with Stoke City goal and has questions for defenders

Stoke were in the ascendancy after opening the scoring and quickly went on to make it two. Will Smallbone netted the opener before Tyrese Campbell got on the end of a long ball forward to race in behind and find the far corner.

It was a simple second for Stoke but Lowe felt it was a symptom of the situation in the game and his side chasing a way back.

He said: “It’s massively disappointing but it's always the way when you're chasing a goal isn't it? I said to the group in there, we can't just get beat by one ball.

"We need to make sure we're solid and resolute but we're trying to get balls into their half and penetrate and get bodies further up the pitch.

"I think it was a good pass from Lewis Baker, he's a great player and it's a great pass. Then you're thinking that Bambo has got him and he stands him up and Campbell is a good player and finisher and he puts it in the bottom corner.

"I'm more disappointed with the first goal than anything because I felt whoever scored the first goal would go on to keep the three points and it was them.”

The PNE boss was forced to reshuffle his defence with Liam Lindsay sidelined with a hamstring strain.

Jordan Storey and Bambo Diaby were brought into the starting XI but it seems that Lowe still feels all his defenders have something to prove.

He said: “We have players that we've got because they're under contract and they're good enough, to what level I don't know because, you know, can they go again? Are they better than what we've got?

"We've got a good squad of players that can compete with each other but at the end of the day, whoever was in the backline those chances and goals would have still happened potentially.

"It's not a case of our defence was disrupted. Maybe the last week has played a part but I don't want to make excuses on that, today I don't think we were good enough to win a game of football.”