Losing play off semi-finalists from last season Preston North End have had a very quiet summer in the transfer market and will go into this season with much the same as they had last under manager Alan Irvine.

Last Season: 6th, beaten in play off semi finals Preston used the loan and transfer market to their advantage boosting a side that was little better than average at just the right time of the season. PNE seem to have a knack of picking up talented, astute managers and under the guidance of Alan Irvine they added Sunderland’s Ross Wallace and Watford’s Lee Williamson to a midfield that already contained the ever impressive Paul McKenna. They won more home games than anybody else in the division, 16 from 23, and won their final four matches of the season including a last minute success at Birmingham and a Last day win against QPR to sneak into the play offs instead of Cardiff on goals scored after finishing level on points and goal difference – the Welsh side left to lament a 6-0 defeat at Preston at the end of April as much as a poor display and result at Sheff Wed on the final day. Preston though were then beaten in the semi finals by Sheff Utd – caught cold after half time by Brian Howard in the home leg and then lacking sufficient cutting edge to break down the Blades at Bramall Lane.

Head to Head: The sides fought out a Christmas thriller at Loftus Road with the R’s eventually coming out 3-2 winners thanks to a late Loft End header from Dexter Blackstock. Earlier Heidar Helguson had twice given the R’s the lead with close range finishes, the first a fine header from a wonderful Lee Cook cross, but twice PNE had pegged us back with Sedgwick heading home after slack marking from Ramage and Davidson scoring a penalty incorrectly awarded against Radek Cerny by referee Alan Wiley. At Deepdale on the final day Preston had to win and hope for favours elsewhere. A rare mistake by Gorkss and Cerny let Parkin in for an opener but former PNE striker Patrick Agyemang equalised for rangers and it looked like Preston’s season was going to whimper out. However news of Cardiff’s demise at Hillsborough had the Preston fans in a fever and Sean St Ledger was able to bully a winner out of QPR from a long throw.
QPR 3 Preston 2
Preston 2 QPR 1

Odds: Preston are tipped for a midtable finish with title odds ranging from 20/1 with Victor Chandler and Blue Sq up to 33/1 with William Hill and Bet Fred.

Manager: Alan Irvine Irvine is enjoying good success in this, his first full management position. Preston have picked up some excellent young managers in recent years with David Moyes and Billy Davies taking the side to promotions and play offs in this league. Alan Irvine followed in their footsteps with a top six finish in his first full campaign last season, but like Moyes and Davies before him he just could not find that little something extra to force Preston over the line into the Premiership. That was their fourth play off defeat in nine seasons in this league and it is hard to see them ever actually making it as things stand. Irvine is clearly a talented manager, in both tactics and transfer market. His signings at Preston have been spot on by and large, and his side is always very well set up for matches in this league, boasting a formidable home record last season. Irvine was recommended to the club by their former boss David Moyes who had him as an assistant manager at Everton. Prior to that he worked in the academy set ups at Blackburn and Newcastle.
Survival Chances: 7/10

Players: Preston’s front line of Jon Parkin and Neil Mellor may be a source of some amusement for fans of other Championship clubs, owing to the collective waste width of the pair which is similar to that of two double decker buses, but as the old saying goes: he who laughs last... Parkin in particular looks like one of the regulars from your local pub with an arse that blocks out the sun whenever he bends over but with 12 goals and the club’s player of the year award under his belt last season he is an awkward customer for Championship defences. Mellor too, while never quite fulfilling his early potential at Liverpool, is a decent player at this level however he needs to score more prolifically and only bagged 12 himself last season – getting just 24 goals from your forwards puts huge pressure on the midfield. That midfield is Preston’s key weakness this year. They have lost long serving Paul McKenna to Nottingham Forest, and Lee Williamson went to Sheff Utd from Watford at the end of his loan spell. Ross Wallace remains and will be a key figure, as will the unmistakable figure of Richard Chaplow but it’s unquestionably weaker than it was last season. At the time of writing they were trying to add left winger Paul Parry to their squad from Cardiff. At the back Youl Mawene and Sean St Ledger is a very solid and impressive central defensive pairing – St Ledger has shrugged off concerns about his attitude and off field behaviour that arose during the farcical “Big Ron Manager” programme filmed at his old club Peterborough to become a sound Championship defender with an eye for goal – six last season.
Likely Star Player – Sean St Ledger.

Transfers
No incomers, Paul Parry pending
Out:
Paul McKenna to Nottingham Forest - £750k
Simon Whaley to Norwich City - £250k
Phil Appiah – Released
Nathan Fairhurst – Released
Andrew Murphy – Released
Dean Stott – Released
Rob Turner – Released
Chris Neal to Shrewsbury – Free

Prediction: Preston have lost two key midfielders and even if Parry does sign have hardly strengthened at all. They will remain a solid top half of the table side but without the influential McKenna it is hard to see them making the six again this year without a couple of decent additions.
Verdict: Upper mid-table finish.

Photo: Action Images

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