'Might write us off' - The Preston North End dressing room mood after Watford as Huddersfield Town await

Preston North End striker Will Keane believes the Lilywhites are not out of the play-off race, after drawing with Watford.

The Lilywhites drew blank at Vicarage Road last weekend and finished the weekend in 10th spot - seven point adrift of sixth placed Norwich, who head to Deepdale on Saturday and have played one game more than PNE. North End have six matches left to contest and the importance of the upcoming two home matches is not lost on Keane.

“100 per cent, that is still the belief and the focus - that we are still in the mix,” he said. “Obviously, people from the outside might write us off, or say we’re underdogs, but we still have to keep that belief within the group and that’s definitely there. We know we need to win games and there aren’t many left, so we need to start on Tuesday and then hopefully take that momentum into Norwich at the weekend.

“We came (to Watford) with the intention of winning and it wasn’t to be. That is probably emphasised more, with the teams around us winning. That’s just the way it is. We know there are not loads of games left, but we’ve got a big week coming up and we want to make this a positive point by the end of next week. Hopefully that can start at home, on Tuesday.”

Midfielder Ali McCann has been needed more than ever in recent weeks, with North End’s midfield department decimated by injury and illness. The number 13’s outlook, post-Watford, was similar to that of his team mate. The Northern Ireland international wants to see PNE on the front foot against Huddersfield Town, who are scrapping for their lives at the bottom of the table.

“We can only look after ourselves,” said McCann. “If you look at the week, we’ve got two home games to try and come away with maximum points - whatever the other results are. We can only take care of what we do and that starts on Tuesday. We’ve got to go, be aggressive, attack the game and try to come away with three points.”