‘I told you’ - Ryan Ledson proud of Preston North End team mate as passionate plea sent

Preston North End midfielder Ryan Ledson takes great satisfaction in seeing team mate and good friend Brad Potts thrive on the pitch.

The number 44 has been one of the stand out performers for North End this season, with Ryan Lowe’s men sitting third in the Championship table heading into the midweek round of fixtures. Potts has started every match and signed fresh terms with Preston last month, with him now tied down for another three years.

Ledson and Potts’ friendship is widely known and the two have both come through challenging periods at Deepdale. Prior to the arrival of Lowe in December 2021, Potts was enduring one of those. But, he has barely looked back since moving to right wing-back. Now a firm fan favourite among the fan base, Ledson is proud of the 29-year-old - but believes there is some learning to take away from the renaissance.

“I am, yeah,” said Ledson. “But I told yous didn’t I? He didn’t need to prove anything to me and all the lads. I told you two years ago because people jumping on his back, what good does that do to anyone? Even to any of the lads. People get fans... it is so easy and quick to jump on the internet and have people off and all that. How about get behind them, support them and look what happens - he becomes the player he is, even though we all knew he was there. It is too easy for people to jump on and batter people.

“It is not for me; I’d say if you’ve got nothing good to say don’t say anything at all. He should’ve been loved from the start because that’s the type of player he is. Obviously he is a confidence player and look at him now - his performances have been brilliant. And that goes for everyone by the way; we are all human beings. We all see everything and hear everything.

“So, as I say, if you’ve got nothing good to say then don’t bother saying it to us. We are humans; if someone is having you off in your job it will get into your head won’t it? So, listen, that is football these days - Premier League lads and all that, everyone gets it, but everyone sees it. So, let’s try and be more positive this year, support the lads and they will turn out performances like Pottsy has. That goes for everyone.”

The positivity Ledson mentions has been felt this season, especially at home where North End have won four out of their five matches - a stark improvement on last season’s showings at Deepdale. Preston’s first defeat of the campaign came on home soil last time out and it was a heavy one against West Brom, but even then Ledson appreciated the backing from the stands.

“Yeah, I do (think it has been more positive),” said Ledson. “But that comes from the performances and results. Winning games is key to a good atmosphere and making it a good place to be. So, it’s down to us to get the results and create a good atmosphere. But, the fans at Deepdale this year - to be honest with you, even on Saturday when we were two-nil down at half time, they still cheered us on which is great. I think they get that all of us are trying our hardest to get points and push and to be fair, this year, they have been top drawer.”

Lowe has started Ledson in every league match this season, using him in a midfield pair alongside Ali McCann. With PNE operating in a 3-4-2-1 shape - McCann and Ledson as the sitting midfielders behind two attacking players - the instructions to North End’s number 18 have been fairly straightforward.

“Yeah, feeling good,” said Ledson, when asked about his football. “I have started the first nine games and obviously we’re doing well. We are third in the league, so I can’t be doing that sort of bad. I’ve just got to try and stay in the team. Whether I drop out for a game or two and come back in, it is a squad game with 46 games and no-one is going to play them all.

“But that’s the thing - the squad is together and if you come out, you obviously want the team to do well because we are all going for the same thing. I think this year we’ve gone a bit longer and a bit more direct. So, it’s mainly been about picking up second balls and being hard to beat - defensively - which is tackles, blocks and what me and Macca love. I think, by going that way, it has sort of suited our game a lot more and a lot of the lads in the team feel comfortable with that. Picking up results like we have has obviously proved it.”

Ledson chats away ahead of two tricky away games in the space of four days. It’s Leicester City on Wednesday night before Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon - Preston’s squad will not return back to Lancashire until after the Portman Road clash. Ledson sees sense in the plan and is looking forward to a busy few days away, as summer signings continue to bed in positively.

“It will be good to have a few days on the road with the lads, because we are a team that gets on really well,” he said. “The camaraderie has been brilliant so far this season. I think there are a lot of lads who’ve been here for a good few years and can sort of manage the changing room. The lads who’ve come in have added experience and quality. Honestly, they have all fitted in. We don’t bring in any sort of bad eggs here, because they will soon get found out.”