Ryan Lowe explains his message to Preston North End dressing room after Rotherham United draw

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe was quick to lift his players after Saturday’s frustrating 1-1 draw at Rotherham United.

The Lilywhites were pegged back by their former striker Jordan Hugill in the first half, as he picked out the top right corner from distance to fire Rotherham ahead. North End bounced back before the break through Liam Lindsay, who latched on to Robbie Brady’s inviting corner and powered home from close range - under pressure.

PNE saw plenty of the ball and regularly found themselves in dangerous attacking positions, but were unable to turn the game around and take all three points back to Deepdale. North End started the day top of the Championship and finished it in third spot, with a seventh successive league win eluding them. Lowe was keen to take the positives, though, from a tricky away venue.

“Everyone knows don’t they?” said Lowe. “We know what type of team they are; they are going to compete and fight and Matt has his team like that. He is not blessed with a massive budget so he has to recruit smartly and he’s recruited a team that is hard to beat. They showed us great respect, by changing at half time to a back three and we knew they were always going to be a tough team to beat. I actually said it will be one of our toughest games, for obvious reasons and it certainly was. I am just pleased with the way our lads went about their business - creating loads of good chances. It wasn’t to be, but you take the point and move on.”

Lowe added: “We needed that little moment of quality or decision making. There was the one where Pottsy fired across and the kid has hit the post trying to defend it. So, that little bit of luck wasn’t on our side today. But, seven points in a week is fantastic. I think we know we were on top for large parts of that game; we probably had more chances today than we’ve had in the past two. I am pleased with the group, I just said to them then to get their heads up and not be disappointed.

“It is a tough place to come and if you’d said we’d be on 20 points after eight games - and still unbeaten - I’d have bitten your hand off. We will just go about our business quietly. I have just had to give them a gee up because it’s a good point. Rotherham will pick up most of their points at home and I thought our lads were different class, in different ways. It shows the mentality of them again, not to get too down conceding a goal we’re disappointed with. We had enough chances to win; it just wasn’t our day today.”

Tyler Blackett was booked for a strong challenge on PNE captain Alan Browne in the second half, while substitute Liam Millar saw appeals for a late penalty turned down by the referee. Lowe addressed both of those incidents post-match but did not have too many complaints with either.

“I don’t know, I will have to look at it back,” said Lowe, on the Blackett booking. “I don’t like seeing people get sent off - I am fair, I think. The lads went around the referee; it was a bit naughty but I don’t know. It is irrelevant now because the game is over and done with. It was a little bit high when I saw it and I was off my feet a little bit, wincing. But, the main thing is that (Browne’s) alright.”

On the penalty appeal, he added: “Peter (Ridsdale) has just said he thinks it was a penalty. Howard Webb said it could’ve been and that if it had been given, there wouldn’t have been any complaints. So, I don’t know. I will look at it back. Liam probably wouldn’t go down in that situation because he is through. Whether the contact was enough to give a penalty, I don’t know.”