'I just wonder' - EFL pundits delve into Preston North End's strong start to the season
PNE sit fourth in the Championship table after victory over Charlton Athletic
Preston North End’s start to the season is a result of ‘intelligent’ work over the summer.
That is the view of Not The Top 20 podcast co-host, Ali Maxwell, who has also hailed manager Paul Heckingbottom’s impact - as well as some of PNE’s most established squad members.
The Lilywhites have taken 16 points from their first nine matches of the campaign, and headed into the latest international break with victory over Charlton Athletic. That 2-0 win only sent North End up in NTT20’s estimations.
“PNE, fourth in the league,” said Maxwell. “What’s that all about? Let me tell you... They’ve only conceded seven in nine games. That is going to get you to where you want to be. If they can stay at that level they will be in great shape. Why are they so good defensively?
“I think the fantastic goalkeeper signing of Daniel Iversen. We have mentioned him a few times, making sensational saves to win them points, or matches. Also, a bit less flashy but I think still important - particularly to start of the season - consistency at the back. In terms of their back three - Storey, Hughes, Gibson, Lindsay.
“All the same dudes who’ve been playing at the back for quite a while and looking like they know each other’s games, front to back. In the centre of the park, Whiteman, McCann - again, you’ve got that partnership already. The spine of the team, in order to have a decent floor and keep the opposition at bay, that is a good thing for them.
“But also, a sprinkling of loan man quality added in the summer, all of whom have contributed at different times, in different games, in a positive way. Dobbin and Devine in particular; Armstrong started in this game as well, and looked pretty good at Derby last season.
“All of these guys have had experience of the league before, so they are not first time loans and they are not caught cold by it. I just think some intelligent stuff was done over the summer. Some of it was keeping what they already had and backing that to get better over time.
“And, some of it was what they added - freshness, in Thierry Small and Odel Offiah, young, early-20s guys. What are the potential issues going to be? Well, they haven’t got great depth up top. Osmajic, we still do not know what is happening with his FA hearing but there’s obviously the chance he gets banned.
“Jebbison played and scored here - showed good pace to get on the end of a square ball for an easy finish - but obviously doesn’t have that track record. Michael Smith, great target man; at this stage of his career you probably want him to be paired with an Osmajic, or a Jebbison, to bring out the best in them.
“That is not always how Hecky wants to play, because he likes the two number ten types at the moment. But yeah, you look at the squad... unused subs here, Osmajic, Frokjaer, Thordarson, all guys who you would’ve considered proper first teamers last season. Now, they are unused in a 2-0 win at home to Charlton.
“For me, it is just a really nice looking PNE side at the moment with a very appropriate playing style. Tough to play against, direct, playing with speed and aggression but mainly, they are trying to be solid as well. They have got a very calm and experienced manager in Paul Heckingbottom.
“And I just wonder if both the club and Hecky might feel a bit like, at this level, they are a bit underrated, and a bit overlooked. I wonder if that is a bit of a motivating factor, because I can imagine it’s quite a powerful one.”
While impressed with the performances and results to date, Maxwell went on to admit some concern around PNE’s underlying numbers - and that he doesn’t anticipate them finishing the season in fourth spot. Co-host, George Elek, has a similar outlook.
“I agree,” said Elek. “I think they have started the season incredibly well. It feels like at this time of the season, every year, there are a couple of cases where you just need to say to a fan base, ‘Steady, don’t get carried away... if you are suddenly 10th at the end of November, it’s not like, ‘What’s happened?’.
“It’s been an incredibly fast start and incredibly good start. As you say, the options they’ve got now, especially up front; it has been a long time since Preston have had options from an attacking perspective.
“So yeah, really strong start, a really good performance - I think one of their best performances. Their home form has been good and their results have been good, but this was one where they took on a Charlton side who’ve been in good form and were by far the better team.”