Preston North End Season Preview: high-energy football

With the 2018-19 Championship season coming up, The Football Lab spoke to Preston North End fan @PNEBenHD; check out his excellent YouTube channel Ben HD, which covers everything from the second-tier.

Preston have progressed every season for the last five years. Given that you’ve not had a budgetary advantage since coming into the Championship three years ago, what do you see as the main factors behind the club’s upward trajectory?

The model we have at the club now, investing in young upcoming players, has served us very well. I think last season we had the third youngest average age in the Championship, so the future is certainly looking bright. I’d say that this current squad is the best we’ve had for years and the fact that they are so young provides plenty of optimism.

One of your main strengths last season was your ability to press ferociously and attack in transition. How important were the likes of Tom Barkhuizen and Callum Robinson?

They both played key parts last season, Barkhuizen especially. His non-stop work rate meant that whenever he wasn’t in the side, we seemed to lose most of our counter attacking threat and edge. His pace and drive going forward can strike fear into any Championship defender. However, after playing over 40 games last season he did start to become a little jaded and fatigued towards the end of the season, resulting in his performances dropping off a little bit. Hopefully he’ll be back to his best after a break over the summer.

Robinson can be quite hit or miss, although I do sometimes think his performances can go underappreciated. His movement off the ball, making runs and creating space for others, as well as the ability to go past a man makes him an important component going forward. At times he can be quite lightweight and his decision making questionable but each season with us he’s shown an improvement, so hopefully he can reach new heights this season. I think both of them will be targeting double figures this season, they’re both certainly capable of it.

Sean Maguire looked a real threat when fit last season. Are you excited to see what he could do over a whole season?

Absolutely! He’s already made himself into a fan favourite at Deepdale and briefly showcased last season what he’s capable of doing – scoring 10 goals in 19 starts. Fast, agile and a killer instinct in front of goal – I think this season we’ll be seeing him light up the Championship.

Goalkeeper Chris Maxwell had a largely impressive 2016-17 season; but does the fact Declan Rudd started 18 league games last term suggest he had a slight dip in form?

The debate as to who’s the better goalkeeper between Maxwell and Rudd certainly splits the fan base. I think when we signed Rudd, last summer, he was intended to be our number 1 but an injury in pre-season meant that he was out for the start of the season and Maxwell took his chance to reclaim the number 1 spot temporarily. Although, after a series of poor performances at the turn of the year, Maxwell was then dropped and Rudd was reintroduced to the starting 11. I do rate Maxwell, although he does have the tendency to drop a clanger every now and again. I’d be expecting Rudd to be our starting keeper this season barring any late injuries.

Right-back Darnell Fisher was arguably the most improved player in the EFL in 2017-18. Would you go along with that?

From what we were told about his time at Rotherham it would be almost impossible to disagree! When he signed we were met by a flurry of Rotherham fans saying he’s one of the worst full-backs they’d ever seen and that they couldn’t believe we’d actually spent money on him. Our number 14 shirt must be blessed because he was an absolute rock last season.

Always dependable, his tough tackling nature and reading of the game led him to becoming one of the first names on the team sheet and even got him nominated for the Championship August player of the month. After the 2016/17 season where no one was able to nail down a starting spot at right back, the introduction of Fisher was just what we were looking for.

You perhaps struggled to find a regular centre-back partner for Paul Huntington last season; Jordan Storey has since come in from Exeter. What would be your preferred pairing for the opener against QPR?

With the type of defender Storey looks to be, I think he was brought in to be the long-term replacement for Huntington. I expect Ben Davies to partner Huntington this season, he compliments Huntington’s no nonsense attitude perfectly. Winning our young player of the year award, Ben Davies really flourished last season and allows us to play out from the back with his composure on the ball and reading of the game.

We also have skipper Tom Clarke who had a solid 2017/18 campaign despite coming back from a ruptured Achilles, although I expect he’ll play a more supporting role this season. Huntington and Davies is definitely my preferred pairing.

Left-back Andrew Hughes arrives with positive reviews from Peterborough. Will he have to beat off competition from Josh Earl?

I’m looking forward to seeing this battle for left back this season. Obviously I was gutted to lose Greg Cunningham in this transfer window but when he was injured at times last season, Josh Earl certainly didn’t look out of place. Standing at 6 foot 3, he’s a towering presence at the back and isn’t afraid of getting stuck in. As he played mostly as a winger for our academy he’s also a threat going forward and has a decent delivery on him. From what I’ve heard, Hughes will provide good competition for Earl this season.

Ben Pearson looks a very energetic, combative midfielder. Are you pleased with his development?

I think most North End fans will agree that Pearson is our most valuable player, he’s the glue who keeps us together. Players like Pearson are hard to come by nowadays and since his arrival from Man United in 2016, he’s barely put a foot wrong. He certainly never backs down from a 50/50, loves putting his foot in and often winds up the opposition.

Although, probably the area of his development I’ve been most pleased with is his ability and vision on the ball. Playing as a defensive midfielder, he makes us tick with his wide range of passes and drives forward. The only real criticism you can throw at Pearson is his discipline, picking up just shy of 30 yellow cards in his last two seasons. However, I wouldn’t want to change him really, his bite in the middle makes him the player he is. Like we say – ‘no Pearo, no party’.

I always think although Paul Gallagher can deliver a ball, he doesn’t necessarily fit in with this new, fast-paced style of football. With Ryan Ledson coming in from Oxford, do you see Gallagher playing a more peripheral role?

Most of us thought the same last season, although Gallagher still proved to be useful. I think our preferred midfield 3 is going to be: Browne, Pearson and Ledson. Like you say, he doesn’t necessarily fit in with our pressing, high-tempo football although I still think he’ll have a role to play.

Last season we mostly struggled against sides who came to Deepdale and sat deep and nullified our pace going forward, it’s in these sort of games where I think Gallagher will be called upon to try and create something and break down a deep-lying defence.

The arrival of Ledson really excites me though, his energy and dynamism is just the sort of player Alex Neil loves.

Josh Harrop strikes me as a bit of a one-trick pony, in that he’s scored great goals in the past with his right foot but never seems to use his left. Does he need to become harder to read to nail down a regular starting berth?

I’d say most Preston fans would like to see more of Harrop this season, most of his appearances came from the bench last season and when he did play he impressed.

Partly due to the impressive form of Alan Browne, Harrop couldn’t really nail down a starting spot last season. I do agree that there are areas of his game which he needs to work on but what probably kept him out of the side last season was his work off the ball, opposed to his ability on it. Alex Neil likes to have his number 10 pressing from the front and despite Harrop being happy to put his foot in, he couldn’t really match the engine on Alan Browne and so he was the preferred choice for Neil.

In seasons to come I do think that Harrop will be a key player for us, he’s probably one of the most technically gifted players in the side. Hopefully this season will be a real breakthrough year for him. Having pace, skill and flair he’s certainly an entertaining player to watch.

If there were to be one criticism of Preston over the last couple of seasons, it might be that you’ve not always had that clinical goalscorer. Is Graham Burke the missing piece of the jigsaw?

The signing of Burke intrigues me. He’s impressed me so far in pre-season, showing he has an eye for goal and links up well with those around him. I’d imagine he’ll play more as a number 10 for us this season, looking to supply the likes of Maguire and Moult.

North End aside, what are your thoughts ahead of the Championship season as a whole? Any potential dark horses for you?

I really can’t wait for the season to kick-off now. I could probably name about 18 teams who could realistically be in the top 6 next season so it’s going to be very competitive again. Stoke and Middlesbrough are both looking strong at the moment and Forest intrigue me after some of their signings.

In terms of a dark horse, Brentford maybe? After a poor start to last season they really picked up the pace and can be a nightmare to play against on their day.

Where will you finish?

Being our fourth year back in the Championship, I’d say that this is the first proper season where genuine expectation is being put on the squad to challenge for the top 6. Last season we came so close finishing 7th and I’d suggest the squad now is looking stronger than it was this time last season. As long as we avoid an injury crisis this season, I think we’ll be challenging for the top 6.

Why not be optimistic? My prediction – 6th.

Thanks to Ben for his answers. The Football Lab’s verdict on Preston can be found on We Love Betting from late July.