Alex Neil has stated that Preston must cut Connor Ripley some slack after his errors during the FA Cup defeat to Norwich on Saturday.

It was another defeat for the Lilywhites as their poor run of form looks to continue. Premier League side Norwich were in the ascendancy throughout and youngster Adam Idah ran riot scoring a hat-trick against the Championship side.

Preston were poor throughout although did make nine changes, one of those included goalkeeper Ripley coming into the side, who made a handful of errors to help Norwich secure their place in round four.

Neil however, was keen to stress that goalkeeper is the one position on the pitch where the whole stadium notices a mistake, and that Ripley has to be cut a bit of slack.

Speaking to Lancashire Live, Neil said: "It's always difficult isn't it, it's the one position on the pitch where the whole stadium notices your mistakes.

"He knows himself, he's really frustrated that he's made a couple of errors.

"I think you've got to cut these lads a bit of slack, we made nine changes today."

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The Verdict

It's always hard for a goalkeeper coming into a game especially when the team that he's facing is of Premier League opposition. This means that there is slightly more pressure and he'll know people on the big stage will be watching.

He performed well overall, but in terms of his mistakes it is something that no goalkeeper will want to see again. He needs to cut them out if he's going to become a top class keeper or Preston's number one in the future.

The Lilywhites will be hoping that they can improve on their recent displays and give the play-offs a real good go with no FA Cup distraction.