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Paul Heckingbottom | Getty Images
PNE were beaten 2-3 by Wrexham in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is unsure on the extent of Milutin Osmajic’s injury, suffered against Wrexham.
The Lilywhites were knocked out of the Carabao Cup second round on Tuesday night. They twice led the Red Dragons, courtesy of goals from debutant Lewis Dobbin and captain for the evening, Liam Lindsay.
But, substitute Kieffer Moore pounced on a late Jack Walton error to stab home the winning goal, and send Phil Parkinson’s side into the hat. There were question marks over Osmajic post-match, with the striker forced off just 10 minutes after entering the fray. Dobbin also made way at the half way stage, while centre-back Lewis Gibson was not involved at all.
Post-match, Heckingbottom said: “Lewis (Dobbin) will be alright. He was never going to play more than 45 minutes. He's not had a pre-season, and we're going to have to work hard with him and be really diligent with him over these next four weeks. Similar to what we did with Alfie (Devine), when we brought Alfie in and eased him into it - but Alfie had already done a little bit more than Lewis anyway.
“So, yeah, that was always the plan. That's what this game was for and he can be pleased with his debut. There's no way we were going to keep him on the pitch with how little he's done. The work we're doing training him in this international break will be big and then how we're gradually giving him more minutes, because the big thing in the league games now is I’m making decisions to win the game.
“So, sometimes it'll suit Lewis and where he is in his progression to get fitter, and other times we're going to have to make sure that we're topping up, if he doesn't get enough - always have it in the back of your mind that if he's starting a game, he'll not be ready to finish it.
“It's his (Osmajic’s) rib. Bigger picture, yeah, I'm frustrated but obviously, it did have an impact on the game because we'd just taken pace off and then we lose the rest of the pace. It did have an impact on the game but I'm not bothered about that, I just want him to be fit.
“We just weren't involving (Gibson). You could see him limping a bit in the game at the weekend. Ben was the same, to be fair. Ben got a nasty dead leg but it's gradually eased, so he was fit enough for the bench today as well. Lewis has been good. I'm not concerned about Lewis.”
Heckingbottom on defeat to Wrexham
“Yeah, I'm frustrated because I wanted to win the game,” said Heckingbottom. “We've conceded three goals and Jack’s not had a save to make. We've got a couple of injuries, so it's a night I could have probably done without, to be fair. I go home thinking we may as well have just given them a bye. I think you've heard me say many times I enjoy the cup games.
“Not all managers say that, but I like to see what you can do, potential opponents and where that might take you. It's a different prize; the league is the important thing, as we say all the time. But you do feel like you miss out when you get knocked out of the cup, or potentially could be there.
“As much as we enjoyed the journey in both cup competitions, in the end we ended up putting a makeshift team out in the quarter-final of the FA Cup against Villa, which was so frustrating. I felt like we'd put all that effort in and we couldn't even have a good go at them.
“So we've got to make sure, this now and whatever couple of free weeks it may give us, we use it to our advantage for the league - and make sure that we look after the bodies, we recover properly and prepare properly for the league games.”
On whether he had any complaints about Wrexham’s third goal, he said: “No. If people show me an angle where I change my mind, but I can't stand where the game's going anyway - how little contact is allowed in the game now, it's just terrible to watch, terrible. So, no, I don't want fouls given for that.”
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