The clock is ticking on deadline day at Preston North End

The deadline to do business is 11pm tonight and the signs are that things will be relatively quiet at Deepdale.

Having loaned out seven players in the last couple of week – in addition to Tom Bayliss being on a season’s loan at Wigan – that side of things seems to be complete.

North End have a decision to make on Bambo Diaby who has been training with them since November in a bid to earn a contract.

Diaby recently finished a two-year ban from football for testing positive for banned substance higenamine.

The former Barnsley centre-half was cleared by the FA of knowingly ingesting a banned substance.

During January North End loaned out Jordan Storey, Josh Harrop, Adam O’Reilly, Jamie Thomas, Joe Rodwell-Grant Jacob Holland-Wilkinson and Lewis Coulton.

Harrop’s time at Fleetwood started disastrously on Saturday when he tore a hamstring three minutes into a 1-1 draw with Cambridge.

To date, North End have done one incoming deal, that of Cameron Archer on loan.

After coming off the bench to score at West Bromwich Albion last week, Archer was handed a start in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Bristol City.

The young striker played a big part in PNE’s first goal, his shot from 20 yards pushed out by the City keeper with Emil Riis netting the rebound.

That brought them level at 1-1 but the Robins went back in front with nine minutes left.

However, Riis scored a superb volley in the fifth minute of stoppage-time.

North End manager Ryan Lowe was pleased with the comeback but disappointed with his side’s first-half display.

Lowe said: “These lads don’t know when they are beaten because they are a good and honest group.

“I want us to be scoring late on to win three points, not just one point.

“In the dressing room after the game I told the group and the staff that I’ve been here coming up two months in which we have trained three or four days a week.

“Every day is a learning day, we have to continue coaching them in the way I want and the longer we coach them, the better they will become.

“At half-time there was some constructive criticism from me but nothing crazy.

“I never swear at my players, say things that I will regret, I’m constructive.

“I had to take two lads off, Greg Cuningham and Ryan Ledson, who have been fantastic and are top pros.

“What I wanted was more energy which Ali McCann and Josh Earl gave us.

“In the second half we were much better.”