Ryan Lowe wants Preston North End to use Fulham's promotion celebrations as motivation for next season

The Cottagers were promoted back to the Premier League after the 3-0 win over PNE, all three goals coming in a one-sided first half at Craven Cottage.

Lowe wants North End challenging higher up the Championship in 2022/23 and wants his players to remember Fulham’s celebrations.

"Fair play to Fulham and we want to be doing something similar next season,” said Lilywhites manager Lowe.

"I’m not saying we are going to win the league but I want to be in a position where we are giving ourselves a better chance of fighting for the play-offs or promotion.

"That is what we are going to do. I let the lads listen to the celebrations and we want similar."

North End are down to their last three games of the season, with them next in action against Blackburn Rovers at Deepdale on Monday night.

They go to Barnsley for Gentry Day on April 30, before the curtain comes down on the campaign with the May 7 home clash with Middlesbrough.

After the Fulham game, the PNE squad stayed overnight in London and did a warm-down session before travelling home by train yesterday afternoon.

Patrick Bauer missed the Fulham game because of a slight injury, the centre-half travelling with the squad but was not risked.

The fitness of Ched Evans will have to be assessed after he lasted just 25 minutes at Craven Cottage before coming off with a toe injury.

Lowe said: “Patrick was with us but he was just struggling with his Achilles so I didn’t want to risk him and lose him for longer.

"That was the reason we put Liam Lindsay in to make sure Patrick got a rest.

"Ched’s hurt his toe again, it was something that happened in the first 10 minutes and eventually he had to come off.

"We’ll see how he is over the next few days.”

Josh Murphy and Connor Ripley were missing from the matchday squad on Tuesday, with Mathew Hudson the goalkeeping cover on the bench in place of Ripley having been recalled from his loan spell with Bamber Bridge earlier this month.

Marco Silva says Fulham’s promotion was well deserved