'Then who knows' - Ryan Lowe discusses the Preston North End ambition next season

Ryan Lowe hopes that he can continue to 'overachieve' with Preston North End in the Championship this season.

Lowe is gearing up for his third full campaign in charge of the Lilywhites as he strives for improvement. Last season PNE finished 10th, an improvement on their 13th and 12th placed finishes previously under Lowe.

North End were able to finish ahead of the likes of Sunderland, Stoke City, Cardiff City and Watford who had been in the Premier League over the last decade. Earlier this summer, club director Peter Ridsdale claimed that PNE were 19th in the Championship when it came to wage bills, and once again, it is hoped that North End can punch above their weight in a division that has teams with a vast amount of resources.

"Look it's hard isn't it?" said Lowe.

"We are what we are and we've got what we've got. I want to be successful with the club, just as much as the fans and everyone else. I think it's tough. It's not easy, in football in general. You only have to look at the Premier League - the big hitters get where they want to get to and most of the time, that's the same in the Championship.

"We are trying to overachieve that all the time, which we think we've done since we came in the building. It's going to be the same again. We are going to have to try and get as many points on the board, as quickly as we possibly can.

"Then, we will sort of guide our way to where it needs to be. Injuries play a big part. The squad depth plays a big part - although I thought we had good squad depth last season."

A run of good form put North End in the play-off picture in the last stretch of games, but their form dipped owing to a spate of injures. The season concluded with five straight defeats to Norwich City, Southampton, QPR, Leicester City and West Brom. As a result, they finished a whole 10 points behind the Canaries.

Lowe added: "When you lose Ali McCann, Ben Whiteman and Brad Potts towards the back end of the season, it then becomes tough. They are three important players for us. The Championship is going to be relentless again. For us, we've just got to keep seeing progression and keep performing to the levels.

"If we keep doing that, then who knows where it may take you? And with a little bit of luck along the way: decisions that go against you and points we could've and should've won. So yeah, we've just got to make sure we have another campaign where we can keep believing and keep trying to overachieve."