Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe has praised striker Layton Stewart after a ‘fantastic’ display against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon.
North End’s injury list continues to grow and Ryan Lowe was probably thinking that he was on the receiving end of a sick joke on Saturday.
With a number of players already out, both Milutin Osmajic and Brad Potts picked up injury blows inside the first 20 minutes of the trip to Plymouth Argyle.
Liam Millar came on for Osmajic to play in the final third but then had to switch to right wing back with Potts going off.
That second injury meant Layton Stewart coming on to play up front with Will Keane, and he played his part as PNE claimed a 1-0 victory thanks to Millar’s winner.
Ryan Lowe praises Layton Stewart
Stewart has had to remain very, very patient in his hope of first-team football at Deepdale.
The summer signing from Liverpool wasn’t quite ready for first-team action when he arrived and was put on a plan to bulk up for Championship action.
Stewart has then found himself fifth in the pecking order at times, stuck behind Will Keane, Emil Riis, Milutin Osmajic and Ched Evans.
Yet with Evans out, Riis ill and Osmajic taking that early blow to the ankle against Argyle, Stewart had to be the next man up.
It says a lot that Stewart’s appearance against the Pilgrims lasted longer (71 minutes) than his total playing time over the rest of the season (62 minutes).
Stewart didn’t look out of place though and the 21-year-old came so close to scoring with a superb right-footed drive, striking the base of the post.
Stewart must wait for his first PNE goal but boss Lowe was impressed with what he saw from the former Liverpool prospect.
Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire that he felt Stewart turned in a truly ‘fantastic’ performance in a tricky situation.
“I thought young Layton Stewart was fantastic when came on,” said Lowe as he reflected on how his attack took on a very different look.
The international break may almost work against Stewart here as Riis should be back by the time PNE host Rotherham United at the end of the month.
The fates of Osmajic and Evans are a little less clear but Stewart has put himself in the mix with a promising display on Saturday.
Lowe clearly has real belief in Stewart having watched him in the Liverpool ranks and a strong end to the season would set him up perfectly for a first full pre-season at Deepdale.