'It's not ideal' - Preston North End boss makes admission ahead of Sheffield United clash

While Paul Heckingbottom will, as usual, be on the sidelines handing out instructions to his team, the manager’s opposite number on the day isn’t afforded the same luxury.

Preston boss Ryan Lowe was earlier this week hit with a two-match touchline ban after confronting referee James Bell following the Lilywhites’ defeat to Birmingham City on September 3.

That meant the former Sheffield Wednesday forward was in the stands for Preston’s derby draw with Burnley on Tuesday night and will be there again when United head to Lancashire on Saturday.

Lowe described the experience as ‘horrible’ but admitted ‘you have to take your medicine’.

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“It was horrible, not nice at all,” Lowe told LEP. “I shouldn't be getting suspended as the manager but I have, I've said the wrong things and I have to live with it. I got the phone call on Tuesday and you have to take your medicine.

"We've all done things we shouldn't have done, I've just got to get on with it and get it over quickly and hopefully it never happens again.

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"You're going from a phone and then there's an ear piece and I tried not to bombard them too much, Mike Marsh, Paul Gallagher and Mike Pollitt and knew the game plan, and then we had the analysts on the bench.

"We knew what the game plan was and parts of it came to fruition. There were some simple instructions like making subs, who to put on and when to put them on. It's not ideal.”

Lowe had gone to remonstrate with the referee after seeing his side lose 1-0 to struggling Birmingham and had said afterwards he was ‘disappointed’ in Bell and his assistants’ performances.

“I've apologised to him but I still felt that the performance wasn't good enough from the officials,” Lowe said at the time.

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"I stand by that but I shouldn't have gone and pointed in his face and said what I said. I'm disappointed in his performance and my team’s performance.

“I probably shouldn't have gone to see him, he did it to me last year at Plymouth Argyle against Sunderland, he couldn't wait to give me a yellow and this time he's gone a step further.”

Preston are currently 12th in the Championship table with just one win in their last six, though four of those have been draws. Incredibly, they have drawn 0-0 in five of their nine matches this season and are the lowest scorers in the division having found the net just three times.