PRESTON NORTH END last night apologised to Middlesbrough over comments made by manager Phil Brown that there is player unrest at the Riverside.

Brown was quoted as saying that the Boro squad was unsettled because they had not been paid.

And, after an apology was demanded by Boro, Preston issued a statement saying sorry for the comments made by Brown in Thursday’s prematch press conference.

Brown had told the press: “There are rumours coming out of there that the players are unsettled because they haven’t been paid and that there’s a bit of unrest.”

The apology read: “In a press interview given yesterday, the Preston North End manager Phil Brown stated that there were rumours that the Middlesbrough players were unsettled, as they had not been paid their salaries on time.

“Phil realises that the comment was both untrue and unnecessary. He wishes to apologise unreservedly to the Middlesbrough club and retract the statement.

“The reference to rumours was part of a long interview and the reference to the Middlesbrough players and their salaries was a thoughtless and unnecessary comment.

“Preston North End have apologised to Middlesbrough for these remarks.”

The sides meet at the Riverside today with Boro looking to extend their four-game unbeaten run in the Championship, which has seen Mowbray’s side put a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation places.

Mowbray is still without long-term absentees Rhys Williams, Stephen McManus and Kevin Thomson, but Willo Flood is now back in training after recovering from A dislocated kneecap.

Justin Hoyte is also ruled out after he limped off in the 4-0 win at Bristol City with a hamstring injury and Tony McMahon is set to replace him at right-back.

The victory last weekend was Boro’s biggest win of a campaign in which they have struggled to score goals.

When Mowbray took over from Gordon Strachan in October he made it clear he wanted to bring attractive football to the Riverside.

And although the performance at the weekend showed signs the Mowbray effect is beginning to take hold, the boss insisted there was still a lot of work to do and that people should not get carried away by one game.

“I don’t want to get carried away by one positive result,”

he insisted. There was some very good play at the weekend and at times, particularly after the second goal I thought the team relaxed and we could have scored more than four goals.

“You’ve got a style and philosophy you want to play and that will be defined over a longer period of time.

“I don’t think we’re there yet, there’s a lot of work still to be done on the training ground. What I do see everyday is big improvement in the team.

“I think the players now enjoy what we ask them to do everyday I can hear the excitement in the way they train and that needs to be transmitted onto the football field.

“I think we are improving every week but we need to rubber stamp that with consistency and results.

“I hope it gives them confidence in what we do and preach is right. I’m delighted with the string of results and the consistency over the past four to six weeks which we have to keep going and not let it be a one-month run of results.

“We have to find it over two, three, four, five months of consistently winning and getting positive performances.”