Town manager Roy Keane will be looking for his side to end their run of five successive league defeats when they travel to Preston on Saturday. Despite the losses, Keane says that recent performances haven’t been too bad with his side having been let down by a series of individual errors.

The Blues boss dismisses suggestions of the trip to Deepdale being a ‘must-win game’, believing that all matches are similarly significant: “Every game’s important. I try and approach every game the same.

“The pressure builds when you don’t get results, but I think our performances against Swansea and against West Brom were pretty decent.

“We gave away a couple of mad goals against Swansea, but if we can cut the mistakes out we’ll be OK.”

Despite his recent critical comments, Keane concedes that Town’s fans deserve better than they’re currently getting: “I’ve no problem with the supporters, they’ve been very, very patient, probably too patient.

“We’ve got to keep doing our best and we’ll do the same on Saturday, and if the best isn’t good enough, something will be done about it.”

The Town boss says he hopes to have more players fit as his team goes into the Christmas period: “In the next two or three weeks we will start to get one or two more players available and that will be a big plus for us.

“Mark Kennedy will have another couple of weeks’ training under his belt, Luke Hyam should be available, Connor Wickham will be available and obviously we’ve got players waiting to get games. People like Jake Livermore are probably frustrated that they’re not getting the minutes they want.

“We guarantee that all the players will get their minutes in over Christmas, and that’s when hopefully we can kick on.”

Keane is still confident that he can still be a success at Portman Road: “I believe we can turn things around and the sooner the better. Preston’s another tough game. Their form the last couple of weeks has been good [with draws against Millwall and Cardiff]. I think their loan signings have been good.

“They’ve got one or two experienced players, Wayne Brown at the back and one or two others, good signings in midfield and two strikers who know the Championship and are streetwise. Whatever centre-half pairing we choose to go with, they have to be ready. And if someone pushes you, you have to push them back.”

The two bosses know one another well from playing under Darren Ferguson’s father at Manchester United. Keane says his move to Old Trafford in 1993 all but ended Ferguson junior’s stay: “Darren was a good player but I remember going to United and people like Darren and Bryan Robson were there and my job - and this is the selfish side of football — was to take their position.

“And I’m sure if he beats me on Saturday and I lose my job, it won’t keep him awake at night. That’s the nature of the game.”

Brian Murphy is likely to continue in goal with Márton Fülöp still suffering with his ankle injury, while Darren O’Dea is not expected to miss out due to the hamstring problem he suffered a week ago and will keep his place at left-back. Gianni Zuiverloon will be on the right with Mark Kennedy probably making the bench but not risked from the start after his hamstring injury.

Keane has decisions to make in the centre with Tommy Smith at fault on Swansea’s second goal last week and with Damien Delaney pushing to win back his place. Keane says he has no regrets about leaving the Irishman out of last week’s side: “Damien was suspended for the West Brom game when the team kept a clean sheet and I thought played reasonably well. I didn’t think there was any reason to change it.

“Damo had a run out in the reserves in the week and he’ll have a chance of being involved on Saturday.”

Delaney may partner Troy Brown, who has impressed his manager since he came into the side, with Smith dropping to the bench.

In midfield, Keane is likely to go with two central midfielders having confirmed that David Norris is fine after last week’s virus and will play. The skipper will probably come into the centre alongside Grant Leadbitter with Jack Colback perhaps pushed to the left and one of Andros Townsend or Carlos Edwards left out.

The Trinidadian might get the nod due to his greater experience, although the on-loan Spurs man had one of his best games for the Blues against Swansea and scored his first Town goal.

Up front, Keane has said he was less than impressed with Tamás Priskin and Jason Scotland’s failure to take their opportunities last week and has hinted that he is considering giving a first start for new loan signing Rory Fallon. The New Zealander may well be given his chance with the more mobile Priskin probably alongside him.

The Blues boss was impressed with both Ronan Murray and Colin Healy in the reserves midweek, but seems unlikely to give the Irish U19 international his first start in such a crucial game or employ the former Celtic man in the deeper lying striking role he occupies for the second string.

Luke Hyam (hamstring) and Connor Wickham (thigh) remain on the sidelines for another week or so with Gareth McAuley not likely to be back from his achilles surgery until January.

Preston manager Darren Ferguson definitely blames Keane for ending his Manchester United playing career: “It was Roy coming in which finished me off at United! Seriously, he had a fantastic career and was a fantastic player.

“He’s had different experiences as a manager, but one thing you expect from Roy’s teams is that they will have a right go in matches.

“When Roy came to United from Forest, I was coming to the end of my time there. Everyone was after him at the time, and quite rightly so.”

Left-back Callum Davidson is back from a groin strain and Ireland international defender Sean St Ledger has returned from a knee problem, but striker Chris Brown is not yet ready after knee surgery and midfielder Paul Coutts is also still sidelined due to a groin injury. Manchester United loanees Joshua King and Matty James both have ankle injuries.

The Blues have a poor record against Preston historically, winning eight games (seven in the league), drawing seven (seven) and losing 11 (10).

Town’s last win at Deepdale was a 3-0 victory in a third round FA Cup tie in 1978/79 when holders of the trophy. The Blues’ most recent league win on Lilywhite territory came in the 1965/66 season when a Bobby Kellard goal brought the two points back to Suffolk.

Preston are enduring their worst first half of a season in 55 years and have conceded 39 goals so far, more than anyone in the division. They have won just once in 11 games and have a home record of won two, drawn two and lost six.

Second half goals from Neill Collins and loanee Danny Welbeck saw the Lilywhites to a 2-0 victory over the Blues at Deepdale in January.

Last season’s game at Portman Road ended 1-1 with Ross Wallace — who played under Keane at Sunderland - netting for Preston and Jon Walters for the Blues. Callum Davidson was sent off just before the break.

Tamás Priskin spent March and early April 2008 on loan at Deepdale when a Watford player, scoring two goals in four starts and one sub appearance.

Former Blue Wayne Brown moved to Preston from Leicester in the summer and is the only ex-Town player in Darren Ferguson’s squad.

Saturday’s referee is Eddie Ilderton from Tyne and Wear, who has shown 33 yellow and four red cards in 14 games so far this season. Ilderton’s most recent Town match was the Carling Cup victory over Northampton in which he kept his cards in his pocket for the entire 90 minutes.

Coincidentally, Ilderton also took charge of the corresponding fixture during the 2007/08 season which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Squad from: Murphy, Lee-Barrett, Zuiverloon, Peters, O’Dea, O’Connor, Kennedy, Delaney, Brown, Smith, Eastman, Norris, Leadbitter, Colback, Edwards, Townsend, Healy, Livermore, Priskin, Scotland, Fallon, Murray.

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

Colchester United Polls