Is it too premature to think that Preston are now safe from the Championship relegation battle?

After Preston North End came from a goal down to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Deepdale on Tuesday evening, Lilywhites Manager, Alan Irvine stated that the club’s target is to reach the 54 point mark so that PNE can maintain their Championship status. But is this a rather pessimistic view from the man who has turned the clubs fortune around this season?

The Scotsman has turned the Lancashire club’s fortunes since his arrival in Preston, and the win against Mick McCarthy’s team has increased the club’s unbeaten run on a Tuesday night to 32 games, meant they have won three consecutive matches, and come from behind for the first time under his reign. With a renewed optimism circling the air, is it too soon to begin hopes of strong top half finish, before safety from relegation is reached?

Five points now separate Preston from the relegation zone, yet a win against arch rivals, Blackpool on Saturday could move them to as high as 12th, in close proximity of teams above them. Having said that, it would be over confidence and naïve to suggest the players should relax and not still fear the threat of dropping to League One.

A poor performance against Crystal Palace was overshadowed by good displays at Leicester and Charlton. The win against Wolves was also a decent display, however still not at the level Preston fans would ideally like to witness. This, along with the fact that anyone truly can beat anyone in the Championship, means that PNE cannot now rest on their laurels and expect immunity from the relegation dog-fight, but at the same time, there is a temptation to imagine them safely in the top half of the table, a thought inconceivable three games ago, which is the reason for the hallucinations.

History has proved that you have to take your chances in this decision, if you don’t it could cost you valuable points. Wolves were guilty on this occasion as they arguably had the better chances in the game, up until the penalty decision which turned proceedings around. If they had built on their one goal advantage before Chris Brown went down easily under a challenge in the Wolves box, they could have gone on to win the game by one or two goals. However, Preston showed the belief and determination to fight their way back into the game and despite the generous penalty decision, they thoroughly deserved their win.

But everyone connected to PNE should not get carried away. There is a lot of work still left to be done this season concentrating on increasing the gap on the pack below them. The moment they slip, it gives others a chance to gain ground on them. They will feed on any scraps which Preston give them, therefore they should still be looking over their shoulder at who’s behind them and look at who they can catch just ahead of them, before visualising where they could be at the end of the season.

On the new signings, Michael Hart will step up his recovery from a hip-flexa injury by featuring in the reserve fixture at Morcambe on Thursday evening. I hope that the full-back can pull through the game with no problems as with Liam Chilvers on the sidelines for nine months, Hart’s return from injury would a timely boost and add extra numbers at the back. We are not desperate as Neal Trotman was on the bench on Tuesday, but the experience which Hart would bring in is a considerable amount more than the former Oldham centre-back, Trotman. It’s sad that Craig Beattie is out of action before he really got going. Hopefully he won’t be out for too long and can show the fans at Deepdale some of the qualities that earned him a move to West Brom last summer. As for Tamas Priskin, he showed good touches on the ball on Tuesday and also impressed me with his intentions to get beyond the backline with his piercing runs. However, he needs to hold them back for half a second as repeatedly being caught offside could become increasingly annoying unless he gets right and scores some goals.

I would also like to express my delight that Preston will be ‘beaming back’ the Blackpool match to fans who can watch the game on a big-screen at Deepdale on Saturday. The game is a must see for all Preston fans and it is a great idea for the club to provide an opportunity for the fans to watch the team in action in such a crucial game.