PNE in Numbers: Preston ace Brad Potts is to the go-to man off the bench
In Championship games, the midfielder has joined the action as a substitute seven times.
Only three times has last January’s buy from Barnsley started in the league this campaign.
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Hide AdThat is in contrast to the second-half of last season when Potts started 10 games in a row and never finished on the losing side. Knee surgery was to bring his season to an premature end in March.
When his knee needed more rest during pre-season, that appeared to have a knock-on effect in terms of the first three months of this campaign.
Potts had not quite found his rhythm, hence others getting in ahead of him in the midfield.
Last season, Potts and Alan Browne were used an attacking midfielders in a 4-1-4-1 system.
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Hide AdWith Neil favouring more of a 4-2-3-1, there has only been one No.10 role up for grabs, with Daniel Johnson and Browne filling that between them.
It is Browne who has the joint second highest number of substitute appearances in the league, coming off the bench six times – he shares that statistic with Jayden Stockley.
The last time Browne was a sub was at Reading a month ago, with him having started the last four Preston games.
Like Browne, Stockley has also forced his way back into the side of late, starting the last two matches after that game-changing appearance from the bench against Blackburn.
Paul Gallagher and Andre Green have come off the bench four times and David Nugent three times.