The curious case of one of Preston North End's longest serving midfielders

PNE were without six first team players and were forced into playing what would otherwise have been a rotated side.

In came Greg Cunningham, Ben Whiteman (back from injury), Alvaro Fernandez, Ben Woodburn and Daniel Johnson into the starting XI.

Each of those five players have very different stories at North End, Cunningham now a backup on the left side of defence, Whiteman a key figure but out with injury before the break, Fernandez getting his first taste of first team football out on loan, Woodburn looking to kickstart his career after signing a one-year-deal in the summer and Johnson’s is the most curious case of all.

There is absolutely no denying the Jamaican’s class, he just gives off an aura when in form that no one gets close to him. He glides on the ball, looks to play forward and has the eye for a killer pass.

But this season, that hasn’t been the case. By his manager Ryan Lowe’s own admission North End’s no.10 has not been at the level required for much of the campaign, having started the season alongside Alan Browne and Ben Whiteman in the middle of midfield where he had been a regular under Lowe until a few months ago.

Johnson has just looked out of form for the most part. The simple things have gone wrong for him, loose touches, loose passes, and it seems less like his usual game isn’t coming easily to him.

That was, however, until Saturday where he starred in a North End win. Ched Evans took a lot of the plaudits due to scoring two and also playing fantastically but Johnson set up his second and Whiteman’s goal, the fourth.

The fourth goal came from a clever backheel round the corner to an onrushing Whiteman who probably wasn’t even thought of at the time, but Johnson saw him.

It’s a level of awareness and confidence we are used to seeing from one of PNE’s longest serving players.

With over 300 games under his belt he is a clear example of how class is permanent. Saturday’s game against QPR is just as big for him though, to show he can go again and that he is well and truly back.

It is of course a big season for Johnson, who is entering the final six months of his contract at Deepdale.

He has been an iconic figure in PR1 across the recent history of North End, in their fight to get promoted out of League One, to then stay in the Championship and push for a play-off place.

There was only a handful that had been invovled both in the promotion and the push at the other end of the Championship and of those only he and Browne remain.

Lowe says he will reward players that show good form, Liam Lindsay and Ryan Ledson both getting new deals last week, and perhaps that has kicked Johnson into life after the break.

Regardless, if he can rediscover a way to consistently churn out performances like Saturday’s, he will be a real asset to PNE, as he has been for almost eight years.