The side has changed since the new era with the sale of defenders Mears and Davis but they have bene replaced by youngsters St Ledger and Chilvers. A lot of faith will be placed in the duo to keep up Preston's impressive defensive record. Keeper Nash kept a record number of clean sheets last season and he will be called upon again with the experienced Mawene and Alexander.
The midfield looks stronger than ever with new recruit Danny Pugh set to fill the void on the left and Simon Whaley to play his first full season on the right. Competition will be stiff in the middle with Mckenna, Stock, Jarrett and O'Neill jostling for places with Nowland set to return around November.
The main problem last season still remains and that is scoring goals. Thankfully Nugent is fit and will be a key player if North End are to have any success this season. If he can stay fit he should double his tally of 11 from last season and could point the club in the right direction. Unfortunately there isn't much support for the youngster and Simpson is frantically searching for a second striker.
The bookies quote Preston at 16-1 to take the title and 4-1 to go up. They are an established side in the division, this being the seventh season in the same league, more than anyone in the division save for Burnley who came up at the same time as the Whites in 2000. Twenty years ago Preston were crying out for stability at such a level but after the Moyes and Davies era the club are gearing towards a higher plane. The stadium is set to be complete by this time next season but whether there is a Premier League side to play in it is another matter.
As shown last season the teams coming down from the Premiership don't have an easy ride and I am sure it will not be easy for West Brom, Birmingham and Sunderland to settle down. Leeds will always be a threat as will ex Premier clubs Coventry, Derby, Norwich and Southampton but if things go the way of new boss Simpson he maybe lucky enough to be celebrating three personal promotions in three seasons.
As great chessmaster Gary Kasparov once said: 'The mistakes are all waiting to be made.' Let battle commence...
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