Ryan Lowe is happy his Preston North End squad will be boosted by the return of at least three men for this weekend’s away game against Watford.
Both Ben Whiteman and Robbie Brady will be back available for selection after serving their respective suspensions, while Greg Cunningham is also back in training, having recovered from the knock which left him out of Tuesday’s draw against Coventry City.
Andrew Hughes is back on the grass but is unlikely to be rushed back to take part on Saturday, when PNE head to Vicarage Road to face Watford.
Ryan told iFollow: “Whether we’re looking to freshen things up or whether we’re looking to keep things the same, we’ll have a look at it and see where it takes us.
“Just to have players back available just gives the numbers and the squad a little bit more depth and that’s important for us because you need that.
“We’ll get the lads on the grass today and tomorrow, and then we’ll decide what we’re going to do going to Watford.
“It’s good to have the bodies back in the building.”
North End will be looking to extend their four-game unbeaten run, coming up against a Watford side who currently sit eighth in the Championship table.
Just four points outside of the top six, Slaven Bilić’s side will be looking to make their way into the Play-Off positions once the season progresses, but just one win in their previous seven fixtures has halted their progress somewhat.
Ryan added: “They should be there, shouldn’t they? They’ve just come down from the Premier League, they’ve got some fantastic quality and they’ve got a manager who knows what to do and how to do it and has been there before.
“He’s got teams out the division and has managed in the Premier League so we’re under no illusions it’s going to be a tough task, but I think our positive mindset of late and performances of late have been fantastic, and we want to continue that.
“Regardless of who it is, we’ll go there and give a good account of ourselves definitely.”
Before the weekend’s game, Ryan and his staff will be at Deepdale on Thursday night to show their support for the U18s, who are looking to seal a place in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
North End’s youngsters will have to get past a stern test in Premier League side Southampton if they are to set up a tie at the home of West Ham United.
Ryan said: “They’ve been brilliant; we’ve followed their journey.
“I know the games have been away and there’ve been nights where we’ve not been there because we’ve had training the next day, but Nick [Harrison] and the staff have been fantastic with the players.
“Fair play to them. They’re in a good little position now playing a Premier League team at Deepdale, so we wish them all the best tonight and just go and do what they’ve been doing of late, and hopefully we can come away with a win.”