Welsh says PNE will band together to halt slide

John Welsh says Preston must '˜get the season going' again when they host Bolton tomorrow night.
Preston midfielder John Welsh pictured at Portman Road in the defeat to IpswichPreston midfielder John Welsh pictured at Portman Road in the defeat to Ipswich
Preston midfielder John Welsh pictured at Portman Road in the defeat to Ipswich

The Lilywhites are without a win in six games and have lost the last four, a long injury list playing its part in the latter stages of that run.

Midfielder Welsh returned from injury himself to play in the defeat at Ipswich before the international break.

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Bolton’s visit to Deepdale is the resumption of action after the break, the start of a run of nine league games in six weeks.

Welsh told the Post: “We’ve got a good spirit here and the lads get on well together.

“It’s down to us to band together as a football club to go out and get a result that could get the season going back in our favour.

“You’ve just got to keep working hard, do what you know you are good at and things will turn around.

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“We’ve gone from a great start to not doing so great in the last couple of games. We just need to get back to what we had at the beginning of the season and what got us into the top six.”

North End will be facing a Bolton side who have hit a bit of form of late.

After failing to win any of their first 11 Championship games, they are unbeaten in the last five.

Said Welsh: “It’s a derby, it’s at home and has the makings of a good game.

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“They’ve turned it around a little bit so they probably didn’t want the international break to come.

“We’ll be getting our heads screwed on for the game and look at what we need to do to get a result.”

A key to North End finding their feet again results-wise will be reducing the queue for the treatment room.

It is the defence which has been hit hardest,at one stage Welsh’s midfield colleague Alan Browne having to drop back into an emergency role in the centre of defence.

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Welsh said: “I’ve never seen injuries this bad in my career, especially in one position.

“It is a lot of defenders to lose all at once.

“Probably in your standard squad you’d have four centre-backs or people who can play as centre-backs.

“The number of injuries we’ve had, it’s amazing we can still put out a good first team like we have.

“We have always been confident that we’ve got a really good squad here and that lads could come in and play at any time.

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“It’s a credit to the club that we can still put a good XI out.

“In terms of filling in, I think I’m a bit too small to be playing centre-half!

“Sometimes it’s needs must, and everyone bands together to try and get a result.

“Unfortunately against Ipswich last time out it wasn’t the one we wanted.”