Ahead of the weekend’s clash with Hull City, manager Ryan Lowe will do some extra work with his forward players, as he feels it’s just a matter of time before Liam Delap and Tom Cannon get on the scoresheet.
The two loanees – from Manchester City and Everton respectively – joined the club in January and have certainly looked bright at the top end of the pitch for PNE.
Both are yet to get off the mark for the Lilywhites, though, but the manager has no doubt that goals will come.
“It is a matter of time,” Ryan told iFollow. “I’m going to do some work with Liam and Tom and all the strikers tonight (Friday).
“In terms of some video stuff, we can look at one or two areas where they can get better and get hold of the ball a little bit better because they’ve turned the ball over a little bit.
“But that’s part of their development and they know that, which is a good thing, so we’ll do some work with them tonight on the TV in the hotel and we’ll discuss one or two options.
“It’ll be an open floor in terms of just getting them to be better, whether it’s their build-up play or not snatching at shots, and waiting for the time to come.
“I feel as an ex-striker if you worry about it too much it just doesn’t come, so you just have to play your natural game.
“I’ve got big belief in Liam and Tom that they’ll score goals for us definitely because they’ve proven wherever they’ve been and whatever they’ve done, they’ve scored goals, so I think it’s only a matter of time before they get on the scoresheet, definitely.”
A maiden goal for either forward could come this weekend, against a Hull City side under relatively new management, with Liam Rosenior having taken over as head coach in November.
He’s improved their form and made them harder to beat, having tasted defeat only three times in their previous 14 Championship outings.
Ryan said: “From the bits I’ve watched of them they’ve obviously picked up and they’ve tightened up defensively.
“They’re scoring more goals and they’re keeping more goals out, albeit they conceded a lot before Liam came in.
“We’re expecting a tough game, as all Championship games are tough, but it’s one we’re looking forward to.
“Confidence is a little bit higher than it has been of late for us, especially after going down to ten men [against Luton Town] and clawing a draw back, and we potentially could have gone on and won the game.
“The lads are champing at the bit. We’ve had to recover them and rest them because the turnaround’s so quick, so we’ll finish off this morning with bits and bobs we need to put into the lads and head up to Hull.”
There will need to be at least one change made from that draw at Deepdale, with Ben Whiteman now suspended for three matches following his dismissal against the Hatters.
Still, there will be senior players who miss out on the matchday squad – as has been the case in recent weeks – so the manager has decisions to make.
“They’re tough,” he admitted, “but I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for the team and what we feel’s best.
“There’s obviously another place up for grabs with Whitey now [suspended], so again I’ve said to the group of players who are just out the picture at the moment to keep working hard and to make sure the standards are right because I don’t want it to be easy to say, ‘Okay, your attitude hasn’t been right’.
“I must say, the attitude and application of all the group has been different class, even the lads who’ve been left out the squad and haven’t been with us.
“They’re contracted to us, they’re our players, they have to go with what we do, and they’ve just got to wait for an opportunity to come and I’m sure when the opportunity comes they’ll hopefully be able to take it.”