Ryan Lowe looks to Preston North End's young players to inject passion and drive into his first team

Lewis Leigh was sent on from the bench at a packed out Bramall Lane for his Championship debut for his boyhood club. He joined North End at U14 level after leaving Liverpool but grew up supporting the Lilywhites and used to sit on the Invincibles Pavilion before his career took off.

The holding midfielder made his first team debut earlier this season, coming on against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup in August, but has spent much of the season sidelined through injury.

He’s the latest player to be handed a league debut, after Finlay Cross-Adair, Jacob Slater and Noah Mawene all made Championship appearances this season for the first time. Kaedyn Kamara also made his first team debut, used as a sub in the FA Cup win over Huddersfield.

But there is one trait in particular that is drawing Lowe to his younger crop, their drive to succeed. The starlets are all fighting it out to forge a professional career at North End, three of the five new debutants this season being Prestonian’s that love the club.

The Preston manager was left frustrated with his senior players in the 4-1 defeat to Sheffield United on Saturday and is looking for more of his charges to match his ambition and will to do well for the club.

He said: "I want people like that. I'm not questioning my players but I need players it means a lot to, not just being a Championship player and that's it. Surviving for seven, right, nine, 10 years and then that's fine. I don't want that.

"I want players who have ambition to drive and keep going, people who have the mentality to do that.”

Leigh made his Championship debut in Yorkshire but it could have been a second appearance instead for Mawene, the U19s captain who is pushing hard for a spot in the first team squad and has been training with them up at Euxton.

Instead it was Leigh that was handed the opportunity as a reward for his hard work.

Lowe said: “I just told him to get on there, on the right hand side and go for it, get some crosses in. He had a couple of moments with the ball but since he's been back from his injury he's been training well.

“Young Noah Mawene has been with us as well, it was a toss up between those two but Lewis has been working hard.”