Boss prepares for another tough test...
WE KNOW that Preston North End will come here and be well drilled and well organised. They are going to be tough opposition for us, but we go into the game with plenty of belief and in a positive frame of mind.Kevin Davies will be a handful; he knows how to play the game and keeps the ball up there for them. We will be prepared for him and indeed the challenge that they will present to us. I watched them against Coventry last weekend and we had them watched in the Capital One Cup during the week, so we know what to expect.
We go into the game with a fully fit squad. Both Adam Chambers and Milan Lalkovic sat out our last game, but they will be back in contention and this will present me with some selection problems. That said, they are the type of headaches that you want.
I've got a group of players who all want to be out there playing, that's what they are geared towards. They are a determined group and the competition that exists will only help to push them on even further.
I'm pleased with how things have panned out so far; I am happy with the squad that I've got and I felt that we acquitted ourselves extremely well in the last game.
Also the players fed off the excellent backing that we received from the fans at Stoke. They way that they got behind us throughout the evening was fantastic. There is a real bond forming between the players and supporters now and this togetherness is going to be so important to us.
It will be good to return to home soil on Saturday and hopefully we will get the result that we all crave.
DEAN SMITH