Preston North End's Ben Davies knows the recipe for success

Ben Davies thinks Preston have turned back the clock in order to hit the run of form they are on at the moment.
Ben Davies was part of the Preston defence which kept a clean sheet at Bristol City last weekBen Davies was part of the Preston defence which kept a clean sheet at Bristol City last week
Ben Davies was part of the Preston defence which kept a clean sheet at Bristol City last week

North End are seven games unbeaten and collected their first league away victory of the campaign at Bristol City last Saturday.

Central defender Davies says some recent displays have been similar to those of last season when PNE finished seventh.

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They certainly looked a lot more solid defensively, the clean sheet at Ashton Gate only the third this term.

Davies told the Post: “It was really important we won last week.

“We did very well in away games last season but this time we weren’t.

“To win with a clean sheet was also very important I felt, it showed we were still able to do so.

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“What we produced last week was a performance very similar to many last season.

“Going away and keeping a clean sheet was a strength of ours.

“We didn’t hammer teams last season, we tended to win by the odd goal.

“Of course we would like wins to be by a bigger margin but it is crucial we get back to keeping clean sheets.

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“To get one in an away game was very pleasing will give us plenty of confidence.

“Steadily we are putting a run together and getting some points on the board.

“What will get us moving up the table is winning games.

“The draws are okay but it is wins which make a really big difference and often push you a few places higher.

“Things are quite tight in the lower reaches of the table so we’ve got plenty to do yet.

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“But I feel we are going in the right direction, we just need to take things game by game and build from there.”

Davies was pleased with how solid North End were at Bristol City, limiting the hosts to a single shot on target.

Such solidity he felt ran through the whole team.

Said Davies: “Everyone played their part and it was a good feeling to have stopped them from scoring.

“I thought we defended the box really well, we didn’t switch off.

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“They used wing-backs and put a few crosses over in the early stages to try and get some joy that way.

“We stayed solid and the more confidence we got from that.

“I think when the home team has only one shot on target and that is a free-kick, we have done our job.

“The win has allowed us to enjoy the international break a bit more.

“We went into the last one with a couple of good results and we managed to build on that through October and into November.

“Now we have to try and push on again.”