Preston's Brown in fitness battle

Chris Brown joined Preston from Norwich in January 2008

Preston striker Chris Brown is still battling to get back to full fitness following a long lay off with sciatica.

The 24-year-old missed some of pre-season training with the complaint and the opening nine games of the season.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "There were games last season where I could run all day. I've maybe had that once or twice since I've been back.

"It is frustrating but I try not to get down about it because I know I can get back to that level."

He added: "I've just got to be patient. I do get myself down about it and any player who goes through the same thing would be lying if they said they didn't."

Brown has consulted various specialists in an attempt to get to the bottom of the problem which has limited him to 12 starts and four goals.

"A guy who was recommended to me by Callum Davidson has told me there is two centimetres difference in the length of my legs," he said.

"I'm pleased he has noticed that. I'm hoping we will find a way of dealing with it. The physio is pretty confident and I'm starting to feel a bit better."

Brown has admitted that problem first surfaced during a pre-season training camp in Austria.

"I was training and I could feel that something wasn't right. I couldn't sprint properly and it's just gone from there. I just haven't been able to get rid of it. It's just lingering all the time.

"It'll go for a training session and then it will come back in an afternoon. Now I've just got to get rid of it. That's my ultimate aim."