Every word Ryan Lowe said on Preston North End's loss to Lincoln City, 'tired bodies' and new signings

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe tried to take the positives from his team’s pre-season opener - but admitted there were ‘tired bodies’ in the 0-1 defeat to Lincoln City.

Here’s everything PNE’s boss told in-house media, after Friday’s clash at the Pinatar Arena.

On the performance

“Yeah listen, all the footage is out there - we’ve really slogged the lads this week,” said Lowe. “They’ve probably covered 30% more than they’ve covered in past pre-seasons, which we felt was important for them. There were a few tired bodies, but they had some good patterns of play and worked the ball tremendously well, especially in the second half. I don’t think they had a kick for a while.

“We were a little bit sloppy in between that, where they scored the goal. The result’s irrelevant for us - we’ve created some good chances with Milly, Emil. The lads had some opportunities and we had some great set plays from Sam Greenwood. The ‘keeper’s saved one on the line. The good thing for us is just to see them all in there with no ice on their legs, thighs or ankles. They’ve all come through it.

“We’ll get back, they will rest and recover, we’ll get home tomorrow and then start the week again on Monday. It’s been a fantastic week for the lads; they’ve been excellent. The work they’ve put in has been different class, I must say. We’ve had a good game against a good team in Lincoln, who sat back in two blocks – a mid-block and a deep block. They want to try and counter you, so there’s some good stuff we can take from it and I’m sure they will be the same.

“They will take some stuff from us holding the ball and having good possession. It is one of the things we want to work on better, having a bit more of the ball - which we did. But, then we want to implement scoring and creating more chances - which we will. The first game of seven, I think it is, so a good, productive day and a productive week.

On the travelling PNE fans

“It’s class,” said Lowe. “We’ve got that picture we’ve had for many years, with them at the end of the game. I think one man’s lost his voice... he kept shouting all game which is brilliant. It’s good for them, isn’t it? It’s like a pre-season tour for them, with half of them obviously staying in Benidorm, having a few drinks. Some are here with their families, a couple of the players’ families are here. It’s brilliant, nice to see them, and hopefully they enjoy a good night in Benidorm.”

On Stefan Teitur Thordarson and Sam Greenwood

“Well, as you can see they’ve just bedded in well,” said Lowe. “The fans have even got a song for Stefan now and the Icelandic clap, I think we are going to see that at Deepdale and many away grounds, definitely. The two of them have got quality, which you can see. Stefan is probably fitter than most at the moment, because he’s been playing and was just coming into a bit of a mini pre-season with his ex-team.

“Sam, we are going to have a good pre-season with him. But, you can see the quality of both players, along with the rest of the lads. They are thriving for each other and looking to make sure they stake a claim for the first game of the season, at home to Sheffield United. That’s what I want, for them to be competing with each other - which they are.”

On the week in Spain

“It’s been brilliant,” said Lowe. “John (Lucas) sometimes tells me I am going a bit soft, because I’ll say that we’ll give them the afternoon off. We’ve had to be really strong with them - as long as there are no niggling injuries. One or two have missed afternoon sessions, just as a precaution. But no, credit where credit is due to the boys. They have got through it and stuck together, to get through it with each other.

“They probably can’t wait to see the back of a few, for maybe a day or two, because it has been a long camp. But, it has been a good camp and productive. They have worked their socks off. The attitude and application has been spot on, as always. Forty five minutes under their belts and we’ve got three games next week, so we’ll get more minutes into the boys.

“That’s what pre-season is for: limiting injuries, getting volume into the legs, sharpness into them and get some patterns of play, in possession and out. We’ve come out of it today with a little bit of in-possession, which was good, and some good stuff out of possession - recovery runs, getting back in and defending some good free-kicks. They’ve also had to defend some of our good quality set-pieces, so there is loads of good stuff we’ll take out of it. The analysts will break it down, we’ll look at it and it will definitely be good for us.”