Preston post-match notebook: Horrendous first half shows clear out is needed

Preston North End remain in the Championship relegation zone following a 2-0 defeat to Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon.

The Lilywhites were second best for much of the first half and fell behind to a fine strike from Krystian Bielik after just ten minutes.

Things got worse for Preston just after the half-hour mark when Troy Deeney doubled Birmingham's lead from the penalty spot following a foul by Bambo Diaby on Przemyslaw Placheta.

Preston boss Ryan Lowe made a triple substitution at half-time, but it failed to have the desired effect as Birmingham continued to dominate possession and territory after the break.

The result leaves Preston 22nd in the Championship table, just one point above the relegation zone.

It is now four defeats in a row for Lowe's side, who have won just one of their last eight games.

The Preston boss admitted after the game that his team were "not good enough" and that he needs to make some changes to his squad in the January transfer window.

"We were not good enough today," said Lowe.

"The first half was horrendous. We were sloppy in possession, we didn't win second balls, and we didn't create any chances.

"I made three changes at half-time, but it didn't have the desired effect.

"We need to make some changes in January. We need to bring in some new players who can improve the squad.

"We are in a relegation battle now, and we need to start picking up points."

Preston have a busy December schedule, with six games to play before the end of the month.

They host Norwich City on Tuesday night before traveling to Rotherham United on Saturday.

They then face a tough run of games over the Christmas period, with matches against Burnley, Huddersfield Town, and Sheffield United.

Lowe knows that his team needs to start picking up points soon or they could find themselves in a real relegation battle.

"We have a busy December schedule, but we need to start picking up points," said Lowe.

"We have a tough run of games over the Christmas period, but we need to be ready for it.

"We need to start winning games and climbing the table."