Manager on the Preston game
Manager Greg Abbott spoke to us about the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy first round fixture against Preston North End tonight.
He said: “We like winning games and we want to give the fans something to smile about again.
“We’ve had a disappointing day on Saturday and we want to put that right. This is a competition which gives you a really good opportunity to build up a bit of excitement, but you can only do that by winning the games in front of you.
“It’s a really important game for us because we want to have an enjoyable and exciting season. We want the players to play with confidence, and the reaction you get after a defeat can obviously help with that. The players know they have to be up for it from the moment the first whistle goes, because Preston are a side who will bring the game to us if we let them take control.
“There is no time for us to feel sorry for ourselves. The best way to put Saturday behind us is to perform with determination and passion tonight. The fans will always appreciate the performance, whatever the result, if they have seen their team give everything.
“Preston are a good side who will come here looking for a positive reaction from their players as well, and they will want to carry on the work they did at the weekend. They are a very good unit and it’s going to be up to us to get about them and work hard, both in possession and when they have the ball.
“If we do all that we’ll get the type of performance which will put smiles on faces and hopefully bring us the result.”