What Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe said about Blackpool ahead of the derby

The Lilywhites make the short trip to Bloomfield Road this afternoon for the first derby clash of the campaign.

Lowe’s side come into the game off the back of a midweek win against Huddersfield Town, while Blackpool slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to Hull City.

Speaking before today’s encounter, Lowe said: “I couldn't tell you what kind of game it will be, I don't know what they will do.

“I know they lost on Wednesday but my focus is not too much on them but on what we can do.

“We'll still put a game plan together like we do every week for every team and hopefully the lads follow it but obviously there will be added spice because it's the derby.

“My players are emotionally attached to Preston North End Football Club and our fans, that's what we want. We want them to wear their hearts on their sleeve but we have got to have a calmness in that. We don't want to get embroiled in any sort of off the field antics and what goes around. We have to make sure we're fully focused on trying to win a game of football.

“I know how intense this game is going to be for both sets of fans. We're going to want the best outcome for Preston North End, that's going to be our aim.

“We can't do it if we give a rubbish free-kick away or a rubbish foul away, or we don't track a runner. We can't be too worried about it, we know what they're about and we've just got to make sure we're better than them in most departments.”

Lowe will know all about Michael Appleton having faced his Lincoln City side in League One while manager of Plymouth Argyle.

“I know what it's like to come up against him but there's different personnel,” he added.

“When we came up against him at Lincoln, he had a good team that just missed out in the play-offs. They had good players and a good brand of football.

“I've got to go about my business with Preston North End and worry about what we do.”