Preston will 'keep fighting for inches' - Heckingbottom

Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom won't rest on his laurels despite their positive start to the season.

The Lilywhites lie sixth in the Championship with 12 points from seven testing early fixtures, losing only once and boasting the division's joint-meanest defence.

They head to Hull City on Tuesday (19:45 BST) aiming for a third straight clean sheet following Saturday's goalless draw at home to Bristol City, ensured by Daniel Iversen's stunning last-gasp save to deny Anis Mehmeti a winner.

Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire the stalemate "was a good point against a good side", adding: "The margins are so fine, the mentality to stick in games is key.

"We've turned tight games in our favour; last season we didn't manage to do that.

"We had 20 draws and in a lot of those we were by far the better team. We could easily have lost at the end on Saturday, so these are good points to pick up."

He says the recipe for a successful season is hard work and trying to come out on top in tight encounters in an "ultra-competitive league".

"We were everyone's favourites to go down at the start of the season," he said. "I'm not expecting us to run away with games 3-0 or 4-0, I am expecting us to compete and do all we can to try to win games.

"Improvement only comes if you keep working hard and fight for those inches and those margins because that will determine where you end up at the end of the season ultimately - the bits we can control, big moments like Dan's save on Saturday."

Pol Valentin is out of Tuesday's game with a hamstring problem which forced him off against the Robins, but Daniel Jebbison is back after illness while there is still no word on the outcome of Milutin Osmajic's two-day disciplinary hearing - over allegations of racial abuse - last week.

"Hull are a dangerous team, they love crosses into your box, they don't have to play well to win," Heckingbottom added.

"We think we can hurt them and cause them problems, but they'll be thinking the same."

Click here for the full interview with BBC Radio Lancashire.