Striker Emil Riis reveals the secret behind his upturn in form with Preston North End

The Danish striker is PNE’s top scorer with five goals in the early weeks of the campaign and is keen to be back out on the pitch after the international break to try to add to that tally.

Riis only managed three goals last season after arriving at Deepdale in Ocotber but 11 months on, he feels a much more confident player.

“Confidence plays a massive part,” Riis told the Lancashire Post.

“I’ve always been a player that strives to find confidence but it doesn’t always come.

“Now that I’m scoring goals and playing well, it means a lot to me.

“I do think having the crowd is a big help – last season the fans weren’t there. When you’ve got that bit more confidence and they are backing you, as a player you try a few more things.

“When confidence is low, you play it safe and it is hard to make things happen.”

Riis was a £1.2m signing from Danish club Randers FC at the start of October last year, the only signing of the summer/autumn window.

He started well enough, troubling defences with his pace and scoring in a 3-0 win at Reading last November.

But goals and starts were to dry up, before he got his place back when Frankie McAvoy was appointed in late March.

This season the 23-year-old has scored twice in league action and three times in two Carabao Cup matches.

In PNE’s last outing, the 3-1 win over Swansea a week last Saturday, Riis gave the Welsh side’s defence a tough time.

He scored the second goal, should have had a penalty, won the free-kick which led to the third goal and also missed two good chances.

Reflecting on how things have gone as a PNE player to date, Riis said: “Last year was my first season, I had to use last season as a way to get into the team and to find my way.

“I’ve been here almost a year now and I’m feeling more a part of the team.

“What has also helped is not being in lockdown.

“Not long after I arrived we had the restrictions that meant we couldn’t go out.

“Sometimes you need to get your mind off football and do other things.

“But there was a spell last season when I couldn’t go and do anything else, so I was thinking about football at home all the time.”

Riis and his North End team-mates returned to training yesterday after a long weekend. New loan signing Josh Murphy trained with them for the first time since his deadline-day loan switch from Cardiff City.

PNE reserves are in action today (2pm) against Walsall at Euxton.