Facing a Nottingham Forest side who are pushing for the Play-Offs, Ryan Ledson feels PNE need to take the game to their visitors tomorrow night.
The Reds arrive at Deepdale sat three points outside of the top six – two points above North End – and on the back of a positive run of form, having lost once in their last eight games in all competitions.
PNE have gone on a similar run themselves, with the weekend’s defeat to Reading the first in seven matches.
Speaking to iFollow PNE, Ryan said: “We know Forest are a good team. They’re up there and we want to try and catch them; they’ve got a good few players.
“Listen we’ve done our homework on them, but it’s about us really. [It’s about] us getting on the ball and taking the game to them.
“They were struggling at the start and then obviously the manager Steve Cooper’s come in and he’s a good manager, he’s got them playing.
“They signed a few lads in January, and they’ve got a good side.”
Ryan came on as a half-time substitute at the weekend as PNE were beaten 3-2 by Reading, despite a late push for an equaliser.
The first of the visitors’ goals came just a couple of minutes into the game – the first strike conceded in five matches – with the second then following inside 20 minutes.
Ryan said: “I think we’re going a goal behind too often recently and it’s about us getting the first goal, because I think if we get the first goal it’s a different story.
“We’re sometimes giving ourselves a mountain to climb and the last few times we’ve been able to claw them back, but on Saturday it was too big.
“I think it’s good to go through it [the game] and with the wrong bits we do we make sure we don’t do them again, but also showing us the good bits of us getting back into the game, and looking at what we can do to put it right on Tuesday.”
While that defeat was the first at Deepdale under Ryan Lowe, it was a fifth home game without a victory, and that’s something PNE are looking to improve upon.
Ryan added: “I think the home form wasn’t too bad at the start of the season but recently it’s not been as good so we need to try and pick that up.
“You can’t really put your finger on it. A couple of years ago we were like that where we were great away and poor at home, but you need to find the balance.
“I think the away form is obviously not the problem, it’s the home form and we need to make sure we put that right.”
Ryan's full interview is available to watch for free now on iFollow PNE.