PRITCH EAGER TO CHEER UP THE CANARIES

IT may take the return of more than one player to lift the pall of despondency hanging over Carrow Road, but try telling Alex Pritchard he won’t make a difference.

So unadventurous and ponderous have Norwich become under Daniel Farke in front of their own fans even Zinedine Zidane would struggle to impart some positive forward movement.

That isn’t a concern for midfield playmaker Pritchard who is simply delighted to be back playing after breaking his ankle in a pre-season game at Cambridge. His 14-minute cameo offered a glimpse of the vision that has been largely absent in Farke’s team.

Pritchard said: “It’s been a long road to getting back but it feels good to be out there and getting some minutes on the pitch.

“It’s going to take a while but I’ve been working hard.

“Maybe it has come a little bit too soon but I’ll go again tomorrow with the reserves.”

Watching from the sidelines has given Pritchard a perspective on Norwich’s season.

He added: “It has been up and down – the boys know that – but we’re in a little bit of a hole now.

“We’ve got to get together and we’ve got to get out of it.”

After a pinpoint James Maddison (above) free-kick put Norwich in front, Tom Barkhuizen nodded home the equalizer for Preston boss Alex Neil on his return to Carrow Road.

North End defender Paul Huntington said: “We’re three unbeaten now.

“After the international break we knuckled down, got some players back and hopefully we’ll get a few more back.”