Preston North End star fires stern message ahead of Stoke City trip as post-Derby County frustration clear

Preston North End defender Andrew Hughes knows it’s all about wins for the Lilywhites now, ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Stoke City.

The Lilywhites have only picked up three Championship victories this campaign and occupy 20th spot in the league, following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Derby County at Deepdale.

Boss Paul Heckingbottom took over on August 20 and has overseen three wins, seven draws and four defeats in the league. He inherited a team who’d lost their first two games of the season - and manager, following the opening night loss to Sheffield United.

Since then, a handful of performances have merited more points: draws with Burnley, Sunderland and Plymouth Argyle. North End’s number 16 didn’t necessarily think that last weekend, but still saw the game against the Rams as a missed opportunity.

“We’ve had a few of them, this season,” said Hughes. “Sunderland, Norwich... they don’t feel like good points. They feel like two points lost. But, yeah, it is one of them - it is easy saying ‘don’t lose the game’ but equally, we need wins.

“We have always started strong, early on in the seasons and arguably, we’ve probably ended the seasons not how we wanted to. So yeah, we need to get points on the board and fast. It is probably the strongest our bench has been all season (against Derby).

“Emil (Riis) has had to play a number of games on his own with Milly out, Keano out and Ched out. So yeah, it has been tough on him up there - every game on his own - but with the firepower on the bench, to make subs, it is only going to be positive for the team.”