Frankie McAvoy is looking for his side to make their home advantage count this weekend and continue to make Deepdale a difficult place to come when they face Luton Town on Saturday.
It will be the fourth game at home for Preston North End in the last two weeks, and in that time has come a draw against Derby County, a victory over Coventry City and the defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
In Luton, PNE are facing a side flying high in the Championship, currently sitting fifth in their third season back in the second tier.
Speaking to iFollow, Frankie said: “Nathan Jones has done a fantastic job going back the second time to Luton and I think they’re unbeaten in seven games so it will be a tough game.
“But we’re at home and in the main we’ve done particularly well at home after losing the first game of the season.
“I’ve asked the players and I’ve asked the supporters to make Deepdale a difficult place for anybody to come and that’s what we need to try and do on Saturday, make it really tough for Luton and hopefully go and try and get the three points.
“The biggest point is we need to try and pick up more wins than we have. We’ve had three in the league, we know we need to do better, it’s not been good enough, and we’ve got an opportunity and chance on Saturday to try and remedy that, get us another three points on the board and try and push as high up that league because that’s what our task is.”
The game comes less than 72 hours after the cup tie against Liverpool and having watched the game back, North End’s head coach feels with the chances created it could have ended very differently.
“I think there’s mixed emotions,” he admitted. “I watched the game back last night when I went home, I watched the whole Sky coverage of the game and to be honest if we set ourselves up to go and play Liverpool in the next ten times, I’m not sure we would limit them to very little as we did last night in the first half and get the clear-cut opportunities that we had.
“You need to stick them away when the opportunities and chances come your way. I don’t think you’re going to get any clearer guilt-edge chances and if you score the goal and with the way that we’d set up, it would have been a very, very interesting game.
“So the disappointing part for me is I felt we had a chance last night, and seeing it back it was probably a better chance than I thought in maybe getting something out of that game so that’s what’s disappointing.”
North End made nine changes from the weekend, with Ali McCann and Sean Maguire both coming back to make their first starts since picking up injuries in the game against Queens Park Rangers at the beginning of October.
Those two combined for a big early chance for the home side, McCann finding Maguire in the box, but a top stop from goalkeeper Adrian denied him.
Asked how pleased he is to have them back, Frankie said: “Excellent. I think they’re big players for the team. Obviously Seani will see his chance back and see he had a great opportunity to hit the headlines, and I felt Ali McCann was exceptional within the game.
“I said last night, Ali McCann is a fantastic asset for Preston North End and I think credit should be given to the guys that managed to bring him to this club.
“I think Sean’s an important player for us, he’s a good link, and quite a few of his opportunities last night came though him.
“That first part where we can play in to him, he holds it and links it, sets it back and through, and even the wee pass he plays for Pottsy’s chance was magnificent, so I’m delighted both of them are back in the fold.”
Hear more from Frankie in his full interview on iFollow PNE.