PNE keeper not resting on his laurels

The Welshman has played in PNE’s last eight league games, finishing on the losing side only once against Newcastle.

Maxwell has been using the international break to work on his game in readiness for the return to action against Wolves on Saturday.

“I’ve been really pleased with my form and like to think I have contributed towards the team doing well,” Maxwell told the Evening Post.

“We have had some very good results recently and want to keep that form going.

“I don’t tend to dwell on things too long and the focus now is on the games ahead and trying to build on what we have done in recent weeks.

“The international break has been a mixture of training and rest.

“It is a chance to improve on a few things, do some video analysis with Alan Kelly.

“We’ve had some tough training sessions and then a couple of days off to recover from the spell of games.”

Maxwell has struck up a good relationship with keeper coach Kelly since arriving at Deepdale in the summer.

“Kells is a pleasure to work with day in, day out,” said the 26-year-old.

“I’ve got a great working relationship with him and Jack Cudworth who is the other keeper coach here.

“Kells is very much a thinker like myself and we work well together.

“David Lucas, who was my keeper coach at Fleetwood, always spoke highly of Kells, so I knew what to expect when I came here.”

Maxwell has ambitions to get into the Wales squad, but his good form in the North End keeper’s jersey was not enough to catch Chris Coleman’s attention for the current round of internationals.

In the summer, he trained with the Welsh squad ahead of Euro 2016.

“I was a bit disappointed not to be in the Wales squad this time,” admitted Maxwell.

“Fair play to the manager, he has got a settled squad at the moment.

“Wanting to be involved with Wales adds fuel to the fire for me, it pushes me on to work even harder.

“My form with Preston is the important thing, anything on the international front will be as a result of what I do here.”

One North End player who saw international action was Aiden McGeady.

The winger, on a season’s loan from Everton, was a late substitute in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 win over Austria in Vienna on Saturday.

McGeady had returned to action for Preston at Rotherham the week before after a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile Simon Grayson and Mark Lawrenson are taking part in a charity evening at the Bull and Royle pub in Preston tomorrow night (6.30pm).

It is raising money for Prostate Cancer UK, with the event based around England’s friendly with Spain at Wembley.