Preston North End have enjoyed a very encouraging start to the Championship season sitting in 5th place having picked up 13 points from their opening seven games of the season, which is stark contrast to last campaign when the club were in the relgation zone after their first seven fixtures.

Indeed, Preston won just once in their opening eleven league games leaving Alex Neil's side firmly inside the bottom three, with a string of crucial first team players suffering injury problems during the first few months of the campaign, which left pressure mounting on Neil to turn around the club's fortunes.

Ultimately Neil managed to get his side back on track with players returning from injury helping Preston climb the table and even threaten a surprise run to reach the play-offs, before another dip in form in the closing weeks of the season left them to finish in 14th position.

This season however, things have started much more postively for Preston and with the club in impressive form in the opening few weeks of the campaign, there is fresh optimisim around Deepdale that Neil's side could potentially mount a serious promotion challenge this term.

Here, we take a look at three reasons which show Preston's improvements from last season and could highlight the potential for a very strong performance this term by Neil's side.

Preston's squad managing injuries well

Preston endured a host of injuries to crucial first team players throughout last season, and their supporters will be hoping that Neil's side can manage to avoid the amount of injury setbacks that cost them with dips in form at times last campaign.

However, there have still been some injury problems with Sean Maguire, who was hampered by long-term injury troubles last season, suffering an eye injury which kept him out for a few games before he returned to action last time out in Preston's impressive 2-0 win at home to Brentford, and Louis Moult picking up a long-term injury in Preston's 3-2 defeat at Swansea City.

Unlike last season though, Preston's squad looks much more capable of manging periods where certain players are out injured, Neil will have been enthused by the performances of players that have come into the side so far this term and helped the club continue to perform at a consitently high level each week.

If Preston's squad players continue to show the signs of improvement from last campaign then Neil's side will have a good chance of mounting a promotion challenge this season.

Neil finding the perfect balance

So far this season Preston have managed to be impressive at both ends of the pitch, with the Lilywhites scoring 13 goals in their opening seven fixtures, which is the joint most in the division so far alongside Bristol City, and Neil's side are finding productivity in front of goal from a range of players, with eight different goalscorers in the league already.

Alongside their threat going forwards Preston have also been reasonably solid in defence, conceding just seven goals so far in the league, which suggests that Neil is finding the right balance that is allowing his side to be productive in the final third, without leaving themsleves too exposed in defence in transition.

That is another sign of improvement from last season, which saw Preston score 67 but also concede 67 league goals, with all of the sides finishing in the divison's top six having much better records in each department, and if Neil's side can continue with this trend they could well be in a position to challenge for promotion come May.

Daniel Johnson reaching his full potential

One player who has been instrumental in Preston's fine start to the campaign and highlighted the club's progress this term, is Daniel Johnson who picked up the Sky Bet Player of the Month award for August and has already registered four goals and three assists this term.

In contrast Johnson managed just six goals all season last year, but Neil is managing to get the ball into the dangerous attacking midfielder in better positions, which is paying off with the 26-year-old recording 1.8 shots and 1.2 key passes per game so far according to Whoscored.

Johnson's new found form should come as little surprise given he is the sort of player who has the potential to be amongst the division's most creative and dangerous players, but if Preston are to maintain their good start to the season it will be crucial he carries on producing.