LEADING scorer Iain Hume is happy to be part of the future at Preston North End.
The Canadian striker scored his 10th goal of the season in North End’s 1-1 draw at Stevenage on Easter Monday, and has set his sights on finishing the campaign with a flourish by matching or bettering last term’s tally of 12.
Looking beyond the season’s end on May 5, he doesn’t see any reason why he won’t remain at Deepdale in what promises to be a summer of big change at the club.
Hume told the Evening Post: “I’ve two years left on my contract and I’ve stated since day one that I’m not looking to go anywhere.
“I’m playing football and that is why I came to Preston in the first place.
“Last summer I got asked similar questions about my future and I told people the same thing – that I wasn’t in any hurry to leave.
“There is always the ‘never say never’ factor, in that you never know what is going to happen at the club and what people’s opinions are.
“If anything does come up, it’s up to the club at the end of the day.
“I’m not pushing for anything. I’m enjoying it here and want to finish the season on a high.
“Last season I scored 12 goals for Preston, this time I’ve got 10, so it would be nice to at least match that number.”
Hume climbed off the bench against Stevenage to reach double figures in goals for the campaign, collecting a Danny Mayor pass in the 85th minute and slotting a shot through the legs of Boro keeper Chris Day.
It looked as though it had given North End the three points, only for the home side to equalise in the fourth minute of stoppage-time and prevent Graham Westley making a triumphant return to Broadhall Way.
Said Hume: “It should have been the winner, but we let their centre-half get forward and didn’t notice him.
“With the goal, Danny gave me a great pass and I was waiting for their keeper to come out.
“He didn’t come out, so I had to pick a hole and thankfully it went in the net.
“Before anyone asks, I did intend to nutmeg him – that’s the easiest spot to hit with a keeper.
“That’s 10 goals for the season now, and it’s always my aim to better what I did the year before.
“I’m two goals short of last season, but I wasn’t expecting to have missed so much football.
“The two injuries have effectively cost me four months, which is a long time.
“I’m not used to carrying injuries like that.
“There was my head injury which everyone knows about, that was something I couldn’t do anything about, but the knee and hamstring injuries this season have been a massive disappointment.
“So all things considered, I’m quite pleased to have reached double figures.
“And it would be nice to get a few more in the last four games.”
Hume believes that the two draws obtained by North End over Easter are perhaps a sign of improvement in squad unity.
In his view, two points could quite easily have been six.
Said Hume: “In the Easter games we looked a completely different team than what we had done over the last couple of months.
“I’m not quite sure what has changed – everyone just seems to be gelling together.
“The work ethic by every man has been brilliant.
“For all the nice football which MK Dons played the other day, we should have got three points.
“And we should have seen out the Stevenage game and won.
“We ended up with two points, which we have to take positives from.
“We have looked like a team and looked like players who want to play for each other.”
Meanwhile, North End’s visit to Bournemouth for the final game of the season will be pay-on-the-day for PNE fans, with seats £20 adults and £11 concessions.
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