Lowe hails Preston spirit after last-gasp win over Stoke

Ryan Lowe praised his Preston side’s character after Ched Evans secured a last-gasp win at Stoke.

The 34-year-old forward nodded home a 93rd-minute winner to get the visitors’ year off to a winning start in dramatic fashion.

The Lilywhites, who had suffered three successive losses going into the game, edged a fixture low on quality to condemn former boss Alex Neil to defeat.

Only Burnley and Sheffield United have won more points on their travels in the Championship this term than Preston, who rose to 10th in the table.

“It was all about character today,” Lowe said.

“We’ve had a tough two weeks and I thought we were fantastic in everything we did.

“We’ve had injuries, some bad luck and sometimes you need that bit of resilience.

“I told the group that tough times don’t last, tough people do. We’ve got that in abundance.

“Everyone knows their jobs and, when they stick to them, we are a good team.

“We had the fire in our belly to keep going and get the goal – it’s a great header from Ched.

“When you have people like him who’ll run the hard yards for you, it sets examples and he epitomises the group.

“Sometimes we can’t play pretty football or the brand we want, but the resilience and character shown – Ched leads from the front with that.

“We shouldn’t be competing with Stoke City – they’re bigger and better and they shouldn’t be where they are.

“For us, to come to these tough places, put in a performance like that and win, it’s pleasing for me to see.

“We cannot get too carried away, so we’ll stay level-headed and make sure we keep going about our business and trying to win games.”

Stoke, who suffered a second defeat in the space of four days, were booed at the final whistle by their home support.

The Potters enjoyed the better of the possession and shots but could not make them count as their dismal home record continued.

After recording only seven wins from 23 homes games in 2022, the hosts began the new year in a similar vein.

Neil said: “I’m disappointed that we lost a game that we shouldn’t have lost.

“You could feel it coming. We had two great chances in the first half and a chance in the second half, but we miss them.

“Preston are the type of team who don’t give chances away, so when you’ve got three really clear ones, you’ve got to take them.

“When you don’t, you always leave yourself open to smash-and-grab and that’s what happened.

“Teams find a way and find a way to lose, and at the moment we’re finding a way to lose.

“It’s fixable, but it’s not fixable overnight, I’ve not got a magic wand.

“I understand the fans’ response. I’ve got no issues with that, but it doesn’t help the team.

“When you lose, nobody cares and doesn’t want to hear what I have to say.

“Inspiration comes from within, we’re in a competitive sport at a high level, so we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have got to make it happen for ourselves.

“We didn’t get outplayed today, we got done in the 93rd minute with a set-play, so I’m not having that Preston rocked up and were better than us today.”