Lincoln City head coach Chris Cohen has warned his side not to be fooled by Preston North End's early-season league position ahead of Saturday's Championship clash. The Imps travel to Deepdale to face a Preston side sitting at the foot of the table after the opening weeks.
Cohen has studied Preston's recent matches and believes their performances have deserved more points. He told the club's media channel that the data and the eye test both show a team unfortunate not to be higher up.
"When you look at a lot of the data and watch their games, they have been really unfortunate not to be in a better position," Cohen said. "You can probably see some similarities between ourselves and them."
He pointed to Preston's recent 1-0 home win over local rivals Blackburn Rovers as clear evidence of their threat. Cohen stressed that the Championship punishes any side that fails to capitalise on key moments.
"If you don't get the big moments right, which we have suffered from this season and it looks like Preston have as well, sometimes performing well still isn't enough to take the points you might deserve," he added.
Striker Rob Street agreed with his manager's assessment, insisting the league table is an unreliable guide so early in the campaign. The forward emphasised the quality throughout the Preston squad.
"I don't think you can look into the table too much at this stage. We are only a few games into the season," Street said. "They are a top club with good players and real quality all over the pitch, so it is going to be another tough game."
Street described the fixture as one the team is looking forward to, viewing it as a fresh opportunity to add points. Lincoln's return to the second tier has shown promising signs, but converting performances into results remains the immediate focus.
The match at Deepdale is the next challenge in a demanding schedule, which supporters can track on the club's fixtures page. Cohen's side will be aiming to build on their positive start and climb the standings.
Kick-off in Lancashire is set for 3pm on Saturday.
