Exclusive Brad Potts Preston North End column: We MUST get back to winning ways against QPR

I also started the game against Fulham at Deepdale in December, so too both matches with Leeds and the home game with West Bromwich Albion.

The gaffer has come out before and said games against some of the teams higher up the division suit my style of play.

There is a bit more space to work in, also the chance to press them.

Not every game suits every player and you just have to play as well as you can when your chance comes.

Our midfield is a very competition area of the squad so sometimes you have to be prepared to bide your time.

If you think of the attacking midfielders in the squad there’s Alan Browne, Daniel Johnson, Paul Gallagher, Josh Harrop to name just four.

That is my competition to get into the team and those lads have done ever so well this season so I can’t expect to walk into the team.

It’s probably right to say that my pre-season went on to make things a bit difficult.

I’m not making excuses but the work you put in over the five or six weeks is crucial for the months ahead.

I had an operation on my knee towards the end of last season and then it flared up a bit in pre-season.

As a result I didn’t get to play in many of the friendly games and missed some of the training.

Perhaps I was playing catch-up in the first part of the season but I must say that I feel good now and had plenty in the tank at Fulham.

I remember back to last year when I first signed for Preston. I had a good run in the team, scored a couple of goods and settled quickly.

The knee injury came about this time last year and I didn’t play after the middle of March.

What I’m concentrating on now is doing my best so that the manager wants to select me every week. Although we have lost the last two games, we have held on to sixth spot which shows what a good position we had got ourselves in.

The last week or so has been a sticky patch for us and it is important we get back to winning ways.

We play QPR on Saturday and it would be great if we could bounce back in front of our own fans.

These are exciting times, there are 10 games left and plenty of points to play for to try and get into the play-offs.

Putting two or three wins together can make such a big difference and we will be working hard to try and make that happen.

At Fulham we should have come away with something – I didn’t think we deserved to be beaten.

I had a chance early on which I definitely should have scored – one of their lads got in a great block. Even if it had stayed 0-0, a point away to Fulham would have been a decent result.

They took the lead with the own goal and it got a bit difficult for us from there.

At this level it is tough chasing an equaliser when you go behind.

It brings you out of your shape and allows the other team to soak up pressure and then counter-attack you, something we are good at if it’s the other way around.