Troy Parrott and Alan Browne suffered another difficult night on Saturday, this time with the Republic of Ireland rather than Preston North End.
The international break is upon us and a small crop of Preston players have jetted off around the world.
This is the period of the season football fans hate; two weeks without domestic football and having to get the football fix from largely underwhelming international games is a time few love.
If North End’s Irish contingent were hoping that this break from North End action would help their confidence, they have been left a little disappointed.
Striker Troy Parrott started for Ireland against Scotland on Saturday night, with Alan Browne and Robbie Brady on the bench.
Sadly, both Parrott and Browne have been coming in for real criticism.
Parrott has looked short of confidence of late, with a bright start to his North End loan spell ultimately fading away.
Parrott scored an outstanding goal in the first half, but the offside flag went up to deny him; that’s just the way it’s going for him right now.
The Tottenham striker was then presented with an even better chance in the second half.
Played through on goal at 1-1, Parrott had almost too much time to pick a spot and simply scuffed his shot straight at Craig Gordon.
That squandered opportunity cost Ireland dearly as Ryan Christie won it for Scotland from the penalty spot.
Alan Browne was penalised for a handball inside the box and Christie calmly slotted home to give Scotland a 2-1 victory.
From a wasted one-on-one to a decisive handball, the Preston duo are being picked out as the men to blame for Ireland fans.
We all know the qualities both players possess but finding them again can be a battle when at a low ebb, and it has been a little sad to see North End fans jumping on the criticism too.
Preston’s mixed start to the season and almost comical lack of goals has left players lacking in confidence and it has shown with Browne and certainly Parrott.
That’s the thing with confidence though. It’s easy to highlight but when both are being slated, it can only make the situation snowball – and that’s no good for Preston moving forward.
The duo will receive another chance to shine against Armenia on Tuesday night and we can only hope that their fortunes turn ahead of returning to North End.