‘They are in the mix’ – Millwall boss Rowett gives his take on Ryan Lowe’s Preston North End

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has given his verdict on Preston North End joining the Championship play-off battle.

Ryan Lowe’s side have picked up 15 points from a possible 18, although their five wins have come against clubs all in the lower reaches of the table. Next up is a trip to the Lions’ Den.

The two clubs are level on points but Millwall are above Blackburn (sixth) and North End (seventh) on goal difference.

Millwall won 4-2 at Deepdale in November with Zian Flemming scoring a hat-trick and Charlie Cresswell, now sidelined with a fractured eye socket, on the scoresheet.

Only Burnley (22) have taken more points than Preston (21) over the past 10 matches.

“Lowey has done a great job,” Rowett told the South London Press. “He is a manager I know well. He is a really good character and they work very hard there to get the best out of players similar to us, really talented and there is a really honest feel to the group as well.

“Sometimes when you’re almost in that position of nothing to lose, you can get some good results and then roll with it. They have done that. There is one team that always has that little run at the end of the season – it has got them three wins in a row and in a brilliant position.

“What I suppose they are going to do is like the rest of us now, they are now in a position where they must win. They have come to join everyone else in that situation where these are the games at the end. They have handled it really well so far. They’ve got good players and a balanced squad. They deserve to be where they are.

“They are a tough team to play against and beat for many seasons now.

“They are in the mix with everyone else and they deserve to be. It’s going to be five games with ups and downs. We want to get in there and to do that we have got to be a little bit more clinical when we get those moments and opportunities.”