Preston North End in Numbers: Ben Pearson always worth a gamble

Time for a bit of restraint from Ben Pearson

He now faces a two-game ban if he completes his hat-trick and gets on the wrong side of the referee against Hull City today.

By this time last season, Pearson had missed seven games through suspension so the improvement has been drastic.

The issue is less that he will reach 10 yellow cards, but more the timing of it.

If he was to pick up number 10 against Hull, that would rule him out of both away trips to West Bromwich Albion and Fulham.

They are potentially two of North End’s biggest games of the season and to be without one of their best players would mean they’d be at a disadvantage.

In his place would likely be Alan Browne – who has played there well in the past – or Ryan Ledson, who has struggled to make the bench of the late and would be coming in from the cold.

Before the Stoke match, Pearson had gone six games without a booking, which means he has it in him to keep it clean.

Alex Neil has said in the past that if he is available, no matter the situation, he is on the pitch.

“Unless Ben is injured or not performing well, in all likelihood I will keep him on the pitch,” Neil said in February last year.

That is whether he’s a booking away from a ban, or on a booking in a game, whoever it is against, whatever the score.

It’s certainly a risky approach but you can’t argue that a PNE side with him in it is vastly improved on one that doesn’t.

In April of last year, Pearson picked up his 10th booking, so though he may be ahead of the pace this time around his lack of red cards is a big improvement. That time around number 10 was picked up for kicking the ball away, which frustrated Neil.

He missed important games then too, with Bristol City coming to Deepdale and a trip to Blackburn Rovers.

Neil will never limit his key midfielders game and will Pearson him to play the usual combative way that he normally does.

But perhaps a bit of restraint is needed from PNE’s No.4, such as avoiding the needless sliding tackle that saw him pick up number nine against Millwall.