Preston North End

Mellor eyes Preston safety target
Preston striker Neil Mellor believes North End are still a number of wins short of guaranteeing their place in next season's Championship. Saturday's goalless draw with Blackpool lifted them four points above the drop zone with seven games to play. "We still want three more wins from our remaining games," he told SSB. "There's some big games to come, particularly with Burnley on Saturday, so we're fired up for that." I think they've grasped the concepts that I've tried to put over in terms of defending Preston manager Alan Irvine also praised Youl Mawene for his performance at Bloomfield Road on Saturday. The 28-year-old defender struggled to make an impact in the previous derby at Deepdale in December, but Irvine felt he more than made amends at the weekend. "Youl's been terrific, along with the other defenders who've benefited from the work that we've done. "I think they've grasped the concepts that I've tried to put over in terms of defending and they've been terrific."

Points target is close - Irvine
Preston manager Alan Irvine believes his side are close to guaranteeing their Championship survival. North End reached the 50-point mark following the weekend derby win over Burnley and Irvine says the club's fortunes are now in their own hands. "I set the target of 54 points back in January," he told SSB. "That's what we're still aiming for in terms of safety and we're obviously getting close to that total and could get there within the next two games." Irvine feels improved workrate has also been a major factor in North End moving out of the bottom three. "That's been a huge part of their success, we believe that we have to work very hard as a team and if we continue to do that it'll give us a chance of winning games."

Another good win for us today :grin:

Yeah they have really turned their season around recently and should be safe now!! :clap:

Beattie resumes loan spell at PNE
West Bromwich Albion striker Craig Beattie has returned to Preston North End to resume his loan spell after recovering from a torn hamstring. The Scotland striker was not expected to play for Preston again after lasting just 37 minutes of his debut against Leicester six weeks ago. But Beattie, who is still registered as a Preston player, is now set to feature in the final two games of the season. His recovery is timely with Chris Brown currently out with a back problem.

North End sign McEveley on loan
Preston North End have completed the signing of Derby defender Jay McEveley on a month's loan. The 23-year-old is expected to go into the first team for Tuesday's Championship fixture against Swansea. The Scotland international has told Radio Lancashire he hopes to extend the initial deal at Deepdale. "I would like to stay here, but that's out of my hands. I know the coaching staff, I know the way they play and I would like to stay," he said. North End are without recognised left-backs Callum Davidson, through suspension, and Michael Hart, who suffered an ankle injury in the 3-1 defeat at local rivals Burnley. The former Blackburn and Burnley player said: "I spoke to the manager at Derby and told him I needed to play games. He was happy for me to go out on loan and understood that I needed to play games. "I'm glad that I've been given the opportunity by the gaffer here . I'm just happy to be here and hopefully get a good run of games and help Preston."

Preston sign Nolan from Blackburn
Preston North End have eased their defensive problems by signing Eddie Nolan on loan from Blackburn Rovers until January. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, 20, who is a regular in the Rovers reserve and youth teams, can play at centre-back or right-back. "It's an excellent move," Nolan told Radio Lancashire. "I was very interested when I heard about Preston's interest and hopefully it will go well for me." "I'm just getting to the age now where I need to be playing games so I thought a move was best for me. "It's frustrating just waiting around at Blackburn - I've not had much dealing with Paul Ince since the new manager came in, I thought I should have had a chance but it was not to be. "Hopefully I'll get my name out there, there's no point staying around when you're not playing." Nolan's arrival is timely with Liam Chilvers, Neil Trotman, Michael Hart and Callum Davidson all currently injured. Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Watford was Preston's fourth loss in a row while 10 goals have been conceded.

Davidson three weeks from return
Preston defender Callum Davidson says he is expecting to return to first-team action by the end of October. The 32-year-old has featured just twice as a substitute since injuring the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee in August's win over Crystal Palace. He told Radio Lancashire: "Three weeks is the best time scale we can put on it. "That gives me enough time for rehab and to try and solve the weaknesses that was causing it to happen." After featuring in 40 league matches last season, Davidson has started just two of the first 10 matches this term, despite brief comebacks against Coventry and Burnley as a substitute. "On Friday morning I collided awkwardly with someone and it aggravated the same injury again," he said. "I carried on training but woke up on Saturday and it wasn't great so we had to reassess it again. "This time myself and the physio have got to make sure I don't have any set-backs again. "Normally with me it's muscles or groins. For me to have a knee injury is strange." Davidson's latest injury blow has meant that his return to the international scene with Scotland has had to be put on hold. "The manager phoned me and just said get yourself fit and we'll see what happens for the next game. "At least he took the courtesy to phone me and let me know what was happening," he added.

St Ledger eyes contract decision
Preston North End defender Sean St Ledger is hoping his contract situation with the Championship club will be sorted out soon. The 23-year-old, who arrived at Deepdale in July 2006, is in the final year of a three-year deal, although the club have an option to extend it. "I'm really enjoying it here," St Ledger told Radio Lancashire. "Under manager Alan Irvine I feel I can learn more than I've ever learnt and yes I want to stay." The Birmingham-born player, who joined Preston for £225,000 from Peterborough, has made 93 appearances for the club. And he admitted he is settled in his current surroundings. "All the boys are good and I like the place, the manager and the backroom staff. "Coming out at Deepdale in front of the fans is really good and I feel like I've got a good connection with them."

Brown queries Preston North End players' mentality
Preston manager Phil Brown has questioned his players' "mentality to win a game of football" following Tuesday's 2-0 defeat against Barnsley. North End lie bottom of the Championship and Brown admits they are in a precarious position. "We have to turn the corner very, very soon," he told BBC Radio Lancashire. "We can approach games by training and preparing properly, but it's really about the mentality of the individual crossing the white line." Preston have won just one of their previous seven league games, although they had gone into Tuesday's game at Oakwell on the back of two draws. And Brown, who took over the managerial role at Deepdale in January following Darren Ferguson's departure, believes his more experienced players need to step up to the mark. "You can question the goals that we conceded but Andy Lonergan's stood firm on a number of occasions and shown that he's a top-class goalkeeper," said the former Hull boss. "He doesn't need to be making those saves if his defence, midfield and strikeforce are prepared to put their bodies on the line and stop those efforts. "But when your goalkeeper is probably your top player and second best is a young full-back it begs a huge question - what are we doing? What are we giving? For me, it's quite simple, we need to be giving more. "We are very professional in our output and we're very talented in what we're trying to achieve. But at the same time it's that 'je ne sais quoi', something that you can't quite put your finger on that you need to win a game of football. "Everybody tells you about the habit of losing, but it's the habit of winning I'm interested in. We need to get that habit into the changing room as quickly as we possibly can."

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