Preston North End defender Jordan Storey has issued a rallying statement as the club look to sneak into the play-offs this season.
Currently sat in ninth, five points off of Norwich City in sixth and with a game in hand, Preston’s promotion hopes are very much still alive. Recent weeks have seen them gain pivotal wins over the teams around them, including the likes of Coventry City, Middlesbrough, Cardiff City and even automatic promotion chasers Ipswich Town.
It would be a huge achievement for the club, however this season may already go down as a success when they look at the teams around them. There season isn’t over yet though and although they do have some tough fixtures coming up in the run-in, they do still have four of the bottom five to play.
Some wind was however knocked out of their sails after a 2-1 loss at home to Stoke City on Saturday. It was a disappointing result for the Lilywhites, who will be looking to bounce back at the next possible opportunity.
That is a statement that has been echoed by defender Jordan Storey. The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in Preston’s back line and has made 32 starts in the Championship this season. Having been with the club since 2018, Storey recognises the importance of this season, and the club’s remaining fixtures.
In an interview with the Lancashire Post, the defender emphasised what is at stake in Preston’s final ten games.
“There are still 30 points to play for and there’s going to be lots of twists and turns, but if you’re looking at our next few games, they are games we’ve got to be going into fully confident. We’ve got to do a job on all of these teams, especially looking at the back end – when we’ve got some tough games. So, I think the next three or four could define how the rest of the season plays out.”
Preston’s next four games all come against teams in the bottom half of the table ; Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United, Birmingham City and Watford. Nine or more points from those will set them up with a very good chance of making the play-offs.
“We’ve got to be right at it. At the start of the season, we were all saying how strong the Championship is. It has been like it for years, anyone can beat anyone on their day. We’ve been on a good, little run and we can’t get bogged down by a poor result. There are still plenty of games to play and plenty of points to pick up.”
Writer’s View
It was a rather disappointing defeat at the hands of Stoke City at the weekend but given they were unbeaten in seven prior, a loss may have been due. How they bounce back from that result is perhaps most significant and as mentioned by Storey, the next four games are huge.
Sixth and tenth are separated by just five points currently and the final spot in the play-offs could genuinely be taken by anyone. There’s no reason as to why Preston can’t take that spot and although they do find themselves with ground to make up, they do have a game in hand. They’ll be plenty more twists and turns in the race for the play-offs, but they’re in with a chance.
Senior Editor
