Ryan Lowe insists tiredness should not be an issue for Preston North End in chase for play-offs as Swansea City await

The North End manager made four changes at once on Saturday as he looked to find an equaliser at Millwall, 1-0 down at the time. Just a few minutes later, they were 2-0 down but after the game, Lowe explained his reasoning for making the switches involved freshening things up and a couple of his players looking tired.

With so much to play for over the next four games, Lowe doesn’t expect fatigue to be an issue for his charges -, even if Wednesday’s game against Swansea City offers little time for rest.

He said: "They shouldn't be tired when you've only got four games to go in the season and you're trying to do something which would be fantastic. We'll rest and recover them and then we'll go again on Wednesday.

"They've been excellent, I can't ask any more from them. I've said it numerous times, we don't lack desire, effort or commitment. We sometimes lack a little bit of quality, whether that's in front of goal, in the middle or at the back.

"Two lapses of concentration against Millwall has cost us two goals but they've been fantastic. To lose one in 11, before we went into the Millwall game, is not bad. Six wins, four draws and a loss.

"I'm pleased with the group with the way they've been and handled themselves. Millwall is a tough place to go, we know that, but I thought we had opportunities to get in the game let alone go on to lose it.

"What we have to do now is put a game plan together to try and take it to fruition on Wednesday night.”

PNE are a point behind the top six in eighth with four games to go in their season. Swansea are next up, then sixth place Blackburn Rovers, second place Sheffield United and ninth place Sunderland.

With Preston having many of the teams around them still to play, and many of the teams around them still to play each other, there is plenty that can still change between now and the end of the season when it comes to the race for the play-offs.

Whilst Lowe admits he cannot guarantee wins, he recognises that at this stage of the season, and with so much to play for, the upcoming games for his side are ones that they have to win.

He said: “When you say must win, you can't guarantee that you must win anywhere. All we can do is put the game plan together with the lads and we'll work on it until Wednesday with the group. We'll identify strengths and weaknesses like we always do and then we'll go there and give it our best shot.

"To try and sustain a play-off push and try to stay in there, most games are going to have to be won. There are teams behind you that are creeping up as well.

"For us, for what we are and where we are, we've given ourselves an opportunity and I just want to continue that by making sure the lads play to the best of their ability and most of the time when the lads do that they win games of football.”