Preston North End are about to head into one of the most important periods of their season

August was gruelling for the Lilywhites as they played nine times in 28 days. There was a bit of rotation possible in there, due to the Carabao Cup, but it also came off the back of a bit of rest over the summer.

Everything in the summer and throughout pre-seasonw as geared towards starting the season, that brings excitement and adrenaline as the players get going, some playing for the club for the first time.

That energy would have seen them fly through the opening games.

Now however, they’re 10 league games into the campaign, that new season feeling has worn off. Couple that with the fact that PNE have just three league goals to show for their efforts so far and they’ve started to let goals in and there’s not loads to be enthused by at Deepdale right now.

But regardless, there are trips to Sunderland, Norwich City and Bristol City all within two weeks of each other, with a game against West Bromwich Albion thrown into the mix too.

What comes next? Alex Neil’s Stoke City, Huddersfield Town away and then the derby against Blackpool. Of those next six games, four teams are above Preston in the league, the Baggies were tipped for promotion and another is a derby against Blackpool that PNE cannot lose.

It doesn’t make for easy going mentally and it won’t make for easy going physcially either if PNE still can’t find the net.

Everything feels a lot better and a lot easier when a team is winning, which is why the last few games for North End, once their pursuit of an English football clean sheet record ended, have brcome a little toxic.

The mood is changing amongst North End fans, they have been patient waiting for goals and that wait was supplemented by points and shutouts, but that’s no longer the case.

With the way the Championship is this season, who knows what a good points tally would be from the coming games but it could quickly snowball either way. Lowe’s men need it to go their way or it could have a huge impact on their season.