3 ways that Preston North End can target the play-offs next season

Preston North End have been one of those teams that have always over-performed on a modest budget but have never quite made the cut in terms of the play-off places.

They came close in Alex Neil’s first season at the helm, finishing in seventh and narrowly missing out on the top six. They’ve continued to push on and secure top half finishes, finishing in eleventh twice, seventh one and ninth one (with a 13th and 14th to boot).

After a season that began with Frankie McAvoy at the helm and didn’t go too well, Ryan Lowe has rejuvenated the team and has made the Lilywhites look more impressive since he was handed the job.

With the side on course to consolidate their place in the division then, what can the new man bring to the role during his first full season in charge and what needs to be done to take PNE back towards the play-offs – and potentially into them?

Sign some wing-backs

The first port of call – and the main priority this summer – needs to be to sign some wing-backs.

Ryan Lowe’s system and the way he likes to play is hugely reliant on having two players in those positions that can get the ball forward and then do a job in defence too – so they need to do it all.

Right now, the only available options for the manager are just right and left-backs. In fact, he’s been forced to use Brad Potts on the right flank and he isn’t even a defender, instead usually plying his trade in the middle of the field.

He’s had an even more difficult time finding someone to fill in on the left, with Josh Earl, Ali McCann, Scott Sinclair and Andrew Hughes just some of the names tasked with trying to play that role.

As a matter of urgency then, Lowe needs to locate two new wing-backs to play on either flank – and if he does, and finds