Paul Heckingbottom says Preston North End are improving, even if the results have not yet shown it after a difficult start to the Championship season.
The Preston manager, speaking to Radio Lancashire, said the Lilywhites' opening run has taken him by surprise. They are bottom of the Championship after five defeats in six games, but Heckingbottom believes the performances have been moving in the right direction.
“The improvements are there,” he said. “I knew at the start it was going to be difficult but we've gradually got better each game.”
That view comes after a mixed week for Preston. Last weekend they beat Blackburn in the Lancashire derby to end a run of four straight losses, but then lost 2-1 at Watford on Tuesday night after giving up a lead. That defeat came despite Preston producing 2.44 expected goals to Watford's 1.18 xG.
Heckingbottom backs the approach
Heckingbottom also made clear he does not plan to change Preston's style simply because the team is struggling near the foot of the table. He said he will not “park everyone in our box” to protect a clean sheet, adding that the team must attack and defend as a unit.
“I can't say we're not frustrated, all of us are, but likewise you can't say that you've watched the games and not seen improvements every week and we should have had more points,” he said. “But it's shoulda, woulda, coulda. You get what you deserve ultimately, regardless of the level of performance.”
For Preston, that leaves Saturday's home match against newly promoted Lincoln City at Deepdale at 15:00 BST as another early checkpoint. The pressure is obvious, but so is the belief from the 49-year-old manager that the performances are starting to catch up with the plan.
Injuries are also shaping the picture. Ali McCann is unavailable after hamstring surgery and is expected to miss several months, while Andrija Vukcevic and Brad Potts are among the players whose status will be part of the build-up to Saturday's match.
Preston still need points more than encouraging signs, but Heckingbottom's message is that the work is heading in the right direction. The challenge now is turning that into a result.
