Ryan Lowe wants to 'get the love back' at Preston North End as February admission made

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe believes the upcoming month of football is one of great significance.

The Lilywhites sit 12th in the Championship table, having collected 39 points from the 29 games played. North End's tally is largely thanks to their six consecutive wins at the start of the campaign, with 19 points picked up from the last possible 63 on offer.

It's been a tough period for North End, whose manager has come in for plenty of criticism - to the point the club's owner and director released a statement of support prior to the Boxing Day match against Leeds United. With the season now well past the half way point, Lowe views it as a crunch stage and he is determined to not let the season fizzle out early.

"Definitely, that is the message," said Lowe. "We want to keep it alive for as long as we can. I have said that to the group, that we don't want it to just peter out. That is not what we want to do - lose a couple of games, win a couple of games, then draw. We want to try and get a consistency and go on a little bit of an unbeaten run, if we can. I know you've got some good teams, but I think every game we've got in February - people will look at Ipswich a bit differently and that's fine - they are all 50-50 games.

"We are not coming up against the Leicesters, who are flying away with it. We are not coming up against them in the next five games, where you are thinking 'okay, it's probably a 70-30 chance or 60-40 chance'. I am sure Kieran (McKenna) will respect us, the same way we respect them - that the game is a 50-50 game. If you turn up, do what you need to do, follow the plan and come out on top - it is a game you can win, along with the rest of them in February. So yeah, we want to try and keep it alive as much as we can and see where it takes us."

North End did not make a signing in the January transfer window - the only time they have done so, in any window, since the present system was introduced more than 20 years ago. Greater funds should be available in the summer, but Preston's boss is not thinking about strengthening further down the line. All his focus is on producing better performances and results.

"I am not really looking to the summer just yet," said Lowe. "I am just looking at how many points we can get, keeping the season alive and really trying to get the love back for everyone - the fans, playing the right way and being exciting for them as well. It is not nice when you are not winning games of football, everyone knows. We don't like it. We want that consistency of being us and really having a good end to the season and finding our feet, wherever that may be.

"And then, we will look at the summer - there are obviously lads out of contract and lads who'll have to be moved on. So yeah, that will be for then, not now. I don't think we are threatened with the bottom. At the minute, the top is the top but there is still an opportunity for five and six, for many teams. I don't want to get too carried away, but you just never know. So, all we have got to do is keep believing, which we have done from day one, that we are good enough to beat anyone.

"If you have got that belief and desire, then why not? I think it is a key stage of the season and February is a key month for us, that will decide where we are probably going to finish. There are 17 games to go. I think I've said you'll get to eight or ten games to go and know where you are at. So, I think February is a big month for us to see where our season will go to and hopefully we can start looking at the top rather than the bottom."