Neil sets Preston away day target
Preston boss Alex Neil has urged his side to secure a rare win on the road when they travel to Oakwell to take on Barnsley on Tuesday.
Following a six-match winless run across all competitions, Preston returned to winning ways with a 2-1 home success over Charlton at Deepdale on Saturday, although their struggles on the road remain.
Indeed, the Lilywhites have only won two of their 13 Championship matches away from home this term, the last of which came at the start of November, but they have at least proved harder to beat on their travels of late, recording three draws on the spin, including picking up a notable point at high-flying Leeds over the festive period.
Neil has now called for his side to not only build on Saturday’s victory over Charlton but also start turning their away draws into victories.
“It is an opportunity for us to go and try and put some more points on the board,” Neil told the Preston website. “The last win I am hoping will really spur us on and kick us on.
“We have picked up three points, from three draws, in our last three away games and we really want to turn one of those draws into a win and this would be a really good time to do it.”
Neil certainly knows the next few weeks will be crucial to Preston’s promotion hopes, as the Lilywhites are set to play seven games during February, including matches against top-six rivals Swansea, Millwall and Fulham.
“That would lead us into the end of the January window and we will see where we go from there, because February is a massive month for us,” he added. “We have seven games in that month, but this is going to be a really tough match.”
Preston currently sit ninth in the Championship standings, two points off the top-six positions.
