Preston North End's Ryan Ledson: There is no one else I would rather be playing with

North End have ended the first part of the Championship season in ninth, although they are level on points with the play-off places.

It is a good start for Ryan Lowe’s men, who struggled to find goals in the early part of the season but have rallied to find the net and pick up wins.

They lost in their final game before the World Cup break, 4-2 to Millwall at Deepdale, and had they won the game they would have been fourth.

Instead they’re within touching distance of the top six. In a league that is has sides with vastly varying levels of financial power, Ledson is uninterested in what the big boys are doing this season.

Instead he is focused on PNE and how much each member of the squad means to each other.

He said: “Everyone in the whole ground would have taken that, Preston fans, everyone would have taken that. We're level on points with the play-offs.

"I know if we had beaten Millwall we would have been fourth and everyone would have been made up, of course, rightly so. But listen, we have to keep our heads up.

"We're going to have a break and then come back at it. You can say about the budget and all that but there are some good lads in there.

"I love every single one of them boys in there and I would rather be on the pitch with them. The manager and all the staff here, I think we've got a lot tighter and a lot closer and we're all striving for the same thing. I can definitely see that.”

It is a case of what might have been for now, as North End can do nothing to change their league position until December.

Ledson however is remaining upbeat, with plenty of football still to be played.

He said: “The disappointing thing is the loss against Millwall, even a draw and we would have been sixth but as it is we're ninth, but joint with sixth.

"You have to keep positive and keep the positive energy in the building and I think we will do that.”