The Stanley Mills dilemma facing Graham Alexander at Preston North End

In two moments of Preston North End's galvanising draw with West Brom, the advantages and the perils of playing Stanley Mills at right wing-back were laid bare.

The first moment, when Mills delivered an inch-perfect low, bending cross right into the path of Delano Burgzorg, showed why it can be beneficial to have a player with such strong attacking prowess there. Burgzorg could only poke the effort wide on the slide when it appeared that if he stayed on his feet the sensational ball would have met him at the precise moment to finish without even breaking his stride.

In a game in which West Brom played a lot of pretty passing football, Mills’ cross was the stand-out moment of quality, and it's unlikely any other player Graham Alexander could deploy on the right in his back-three system would have been capable of replicating it.

The second moment came in the gut-wrenching 82nd minute.

Preston had worked so hard to take their deserved 1-0 lead. They had defended with everything. West Brom, a slick attacking outfit, had exposed gaps and created chances, but Daniel Iversen had made crucial saves - one from literally a yard away was remarkable - and the defenders had made countless blocks, tackles, and interventions.

Weathering the storm both figuratively and literally.

But, as has proved to be the case to North End's detriment time and again, a single lapse was brutally punished.

Mills was out of line with the defence and watching West Brom pass the ball in the middle, seemingly unaware of Isaac Price lingering behind him, already goal-side and gone by the time a threaded pass played through on goal. Even still, Iversen managed to save him as he diverted the shot onto the post with his feet, but the goalkeeper could do nothing about Aune Heggebo's deflected rebound.

A sickening sucker punch after such an exhausting shift, especially as the move stemmed from a throw-in initially given to Preston before being wrongly overturned in Albion’s favour. But, as goal-scorer Andrew Hughes pointed out, there were plenty of chances to stop the danger after that. It wasn’t taken and having a non-defender in a defensive position proved costly.

At least a point was secured and the optimism of the performance wasn't soiled.

Yet, the Mills dilemma facing Alexander remains, as the best option he has available at right wing-back weakens the side defensively and would be better used elsewhere.

Stanley Mills’ at wing-back gives Preston an obvious weakness

Alexander says formations are just a 'framework' but for the first time in his reign, the back-three formation he has been deploying worked for a full match.

If not solid given the chances WBA created, North End were resolute at the back and, crucially, made plenty of their own chances through aggressive pressing and efficient transitions.

PNE registered an xG of 1.78, had 34 touches inside the opposition box and got four shots on target. In the first three games under Alexander combined, their combined xG was 1.79, they had 43 touches in opposing boxes, and just three shots on target.

That’s some strong sign of improvement.

Such high pressing, as Alexander says, has a 'risk-reward element' as it leaves space in behind, but the players and the fans appeared to enjoy actually taking the game to an opponent and, in another term from the boss, being the 'protagonists.'

Yet, full-backs are absolutely vital to making any back-three shape tick, as they effectively have to man their whole flank alone, which takes remarkable stamina and defensive qualities as well as attacking ones.

No one can doubt Mills' fitness. He turned the grass into mud with how much he ran up and down. Likewise, his attacking skills, with the cross being the glittering example, are obvious.

Yet, understandably so given he is a winger who had hardly played wing-back before moving to Deepdale, he has not been blessed with the defensive attributes of his father.

It wasn't just the goal. Though Mills worked extremely hard to track back and wasn’t afraid to get stuck into a challenge, his defensive positioning left his flank ripe for plundering.

He either, again understandably, got caught too far forward while being justifiably eager to attack, or drifted inside slightly, which left space for wingers and full-backs to charge into, leading to several West Brom opportunities spawning from the right. Odel Offiah did his best to cover, but there was only so much he could do.

Mills is not alone.

Crosses came from Andrija Vukcevic's side, too, (and he did actually lose Heggebo in the box when he wrongly pushed up, giving him space to score) and a certain amount of danger from the wings is to be expected with the shape. That's what three centre-backs are for, to deal with crosses.

But Vukcevic, with his more-engrained defensive positioning, was not caught out in-behind quite as much. Instead, the big chance from Vukcevic's flank, which sparked Iversen's brilliant reaction stop, came when he lost a duel with Brayann Pereira.

Mills is not a defender. It's not a question of effort or his quality as a player. He just does not have that innate sense of positioning that comes from years of training. As a result, he leaves space and that gives Preston an obvious weak spot teams can target.

Now, leaving an obvious weakness, knowing your enemy will attack it so you can accurately predict what they will do and can effectively counter, is literally one from Sun Tzu's old playbook. So maybe it's a devious little trick, like feigning to hit a goal-kick long to the right so the opponents all move that way, before passing it short to Vukcevic in acres of space on the left.

Hopefully, accepting the weakness means Alexander can make plans for how the other players should react when it’s jumped upon.

Still, it feels like the Death Star's thermal exhaust port, a design flaw that will lead to destruction.

With Harry Clarke out, what other choice does Alexander have?

The problem is, does Alexander really have any other option at present?

It's clear Harry Clarke would be ideal for the position, with the system working in the first-half against Millwall before his injury, but he isn't expected back for a while yet.

Pol Valentin doesn't appear to be fancied, which leaves just the recently-returned Brad Potts with experience at right wing-back. He's looked good in his two appearances this season, but does he have the pace and legs to last the full 90 in such a demanding role?

Would the right even be more secure with Valentin or Potts there instead of Mills?

Fans are understandably keen to see Mills be put in a position where he can show off his attacking skills more often rather than having to constantly worry about what’s behind him but, despite the flaws, he is the best option for right wing-back while Clarke is side-lined.

So Alexander has little choice but to continue playing Mills in a position that doesn't fully suit his strengths, exposes his weaknesses and gives the side a flashing red hit marker.

It's especially unfortunate as, even though playing in a front-two would also mean he is out of position, it felt like Mills would have thrived further up the field against West Brom and added the attacking cutting-edge that was missing from the performance.

There might be one solution, though, one Alexander often points to when a problem needs fixing: Work. Work. Work.

There can't be many footballers in history who've played more games in defence than Alexander. If he can impart those defensive instincts and Mills can absorb them, maybe it could work after all.

There's another free week before the next game at Stoke on Saturday. It needs to be put to good use to ensure Mills at wing-back becomes more advantageous than perilous.