Ryan Lowe feels a packed-out Deepdale will provide his players with an extra boost this weekend when Preston North End take on Blackburn Rovers.
North End will face their rivals from East Lancashire at 5.30pm on Saturday in front of a nearly-full Deepdale, with both the Invincibles Pavilion and the Alan Kelly Town End now completely sold out.
Supporters are also being encouraged, through the work of PNE-Online, to create a ‘Deepdale Whiteout’ and to again take part in flag displays as the two teams emerge from the tunnel.
Speaking about the fans, Ryan said: “It’s going to play a big part for us. I think the fans know that and they’ll be aware of that now.
“We’ve had two losses on the road; I think the performance at Millwall was good but the result wasn’t. The first half performance at Swansea was nowhere near, the second half was better.
“So if we can take them into the Blackburn game with our fans behind us and a packed-out Deepdale, that’s what we want.
“But please, we’re going to need you right the way through because it’s going to be a tough game first and foremost, and if our fans are right behind the players on that pitch then it’ll hopefully give us that little added boost.”
With kick-off at 5.30pm, PNE will know exactly where they stand in the Play-Off picture when they take to the pitch.
For now, it’s a two-point gap which separates themselves and Blackburn Rovers – who currently sit sixth in the division.
“It’s big for a few reasons,” added Ryan, speaking about Saturday’s game.
“It’s a local derby with bragging rights at stake and whoever wins can potentially find themselves in a Play-Off spot, depending on how the results go beforehand.
“So it is a big game that we’re all looking forward to, but we can’t get too carried away with it.
“We’ve got to play with fire in our bellies and cool heads, but we’ve done that before in derbies especially against Blackburn away and Blackpool at home, so we’ve got to try and find that same attitude and application and that real grit and determination to go and get a positive result.”