PAIN NEWS: Stoke City legend Ryan Mmaee is facing a long road to recovery from injury, with the possibility that he may not be available for the remainder of the current season and could potentially miss part or all of the next season as well.

Following Stoke City’s 2-1 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale, Preston boss Ryan Lowe didn’t mince his words in criticizing his team’s performance, especially as it ended their seven-game unbeaten run. Stoke’s win came courtesy of a second-half own goal from Andrew Hughes and Luke McNally’s late winner, with Milutin Osmajic’s equalizer for Preston in between. Lowe saw this defeat as a wake-up call for his team in their pursuit of the play-offs.

Lowe expressed his disappointment, stating, “It was tough because we were nowhere near the levels that we’ve been at. We knew Stoke were going to come and fight and they obviously changed shape to nullify us and stop us from playing. We were flat. We weren’t on the level we’ve been at during the last few weeks.”

He emphasized the need for improvement, acknowledging the danger of giving struggling teams like Stoke opportunities to score goals. Lowe emphasized his desire for Preston to maintain their momentum and avoid their season fizzling out, urging his players to keep pushing.

Looking ahead, Preston’s next challenge is a trip to Plymouth, a club Lowe previously managed when Stoke boss Steven Schumacher was his assistant. Lowe recognized the competitiveness of the Championship and stressed his determination to keep Preston in contention for a top spot.