After a successful first campaign back in the Championship, Preston North End will be hoping to grow on their 11th place finish and maybe even creep up into the play-off places.

The club have already brought two players in to their squad in order to bolster their ranks to put them in a good position prior to the new season.

Manager Simon Grayson will be hoping that new signings, Chris Maxwell and Simon Makienok, will have a positive impact on the club's performance next season.

But Grayson has not stopped there, more signings are certain to arrive in the coming weeks, with a goalkeeper, winger and striker on the club's shopping list.

Preston travel to the Madejski Stadium on the first day of the upcoming season where they will face Jaap Stam's Reading in the hope of starting the season with a win. The following XI could be the side to start the game and to try and take all three points back up to Deepdale...

GK – Chris Maxwell

Goalkeeper Chris Maxwell became Preston’s first signing of the summer in May when he made the 20 mile move from Fleetwood to Deepdale.

With Preston looking at bringing in another ‘keeper, it remains unclear as to whether Maxwell will become first choice goalkeeper. However, as things stand he would be first choice due to the only other professional goalkeeper at the club being 17-year-old Matthew Hudson.

Maxwell massively impressed during his time at Fleetwood making 124 appearances for the Cod Army and North End fans will be hoping to see his success continue with the Lilywhites.

RB – Calum Woods

Former Huddersfield full-back Calum Woods had a great season last time round, especially in the second half of the campaign where his performances were consistently impressive.

Last season, Preston did have Marnick Vermijl on loan from Sheffield Wednesday and they have been linked with bringing him back for next season.

However it is very likely that Woods would start ahead of Vermijl just like the majority of last season, where Woods featured 35 times for the Whites.

CB – Tom Clarke

Preston captain Tom Clarke has been with the club since 2013 and has made almost 150 appearances for the Whites in a spell where he has been ever present in the club’s success.

His presence in the backline adds a great amount of experience and leadership to the whole of the squad.

The experienced centre-back missed some of last season due to injury but everyone connected with the club will be hoping that he can remain fit for the whole of the next season.

CB – Bailey Wright

23-year-old Bailey Wright joined the club in 2009 and has worked his way up the ladder to become probably one of the first names on the team sheet.

Wright has featured 184 times for his club and he has been rewarded for his consistently good performances by earning 12 caps for his national side Australia.

The Aussie is a great defensive player for North End being very impressive in the air and also his ball distribution is second to none.

It has to be said that other centre-back Paul Huntington is very unlucky to miss out as he has also impressed in the last couple of seasons. But it is very likely that he will still play a big part in North End’s season.

LB – Greg Cunningham

Cunningham joined the squad from Bristol City prior to the start of last season and he ended up being awarded with the club’s Player of the Year award.

The Republic of Ireland international is a great talent both in a defensive and an attacking sense and he contributes hugely to the side’s performance.

Preston have been linked with Blackburn Rovers left-back Tommy Spurr in the last week but he will have to do very well to be chosen ahead of star man Cunningham.

CM – Paul Gallagher

The former Leicester City man has made over 150 appearances for the Whites and has played a crucial part in their success over the last couple of seasons.

He has gone from being a left-winger to a more defensive central midfielder so his playing style has been adapted to his new role. Even in his unfamiliar position, he is still playing a huge part in the North End side.

Gallagher is one of the more experienced players in the side as he has made 462 professional appearances in his career.

CM – Alan Browne

Young Irish midfielder Alan Browne joined the Whites in 2014 from his local side Cork City and has already made over 80 appearances as a 21-year-old.

The central midfielder was rewarded for his progress with the Lilywhites by being awarded as the club’s Young Player of the Year and also the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21 Player of the Year.

He has unsurprisingly attracted the attention of Premier League clubs such as Crystal Palace in the past but everybody connected with the club will be hoping to keep hold of the young man for many years to come.

RM – Jermaine Beckford

Beckford is naturally a striker and it is without doubt his best position but if North End were to line up in the 4-2-3-1 formation then he could have to settle for this position.

North End fans will most likely be hoping that a different formation will be used so that they can have Beckford up top to reignite his partnership with Joe Garner.

The former Leeds man has had an unbelievable spell with the Whites scoring 18 goals in their promotion season including a famous hat-trick at Wembley in the League One play-off final.

However, he missed the majority of last season due to injury so everybody at the club will be hoping that Beckford can stay clear of injury in the upcoming season.

CAM – Daniel Johnson

Arguably, the biggest steal in the Football League in the last few years is this man Daniel Johnson. The former Villa man joined North End in January 2015 for just £50,000 and he has been outstanding ever since.

The Jamaican has featured 67 times for the club and he has a goal return of 17 which is extremely impressive for a midfielder as, on average, he scores a goal every 3.94 matches. He also finished the season as Preston’s top scorer.

His attacking talent is indisputable but his work rate was questioned in the final couple of months of the season. North End fans will be hoping to see Johnson back at his best next season as he has the potential to fire them up the league.

LM – Adam Reach

Reach is the one player in the starting XI who isn’t currently signed on with the Whites but they have been linked with the winger ever since the end of last season.

He joined the club on loan in September of last season from Middlesbrough and he impressed during his 36 games for the Whites last season.

It was rumoured that he was to be given a chance to fight for his place at Middlesbrough next season but since the arrival of Viktor Fischer, his chances of regular playing time are certainly less.

Preston will be hoping to have Reach back at their club next season but it is also reported that they are having to battle with sides such as Wolves.

ST – Joe Garner

Garner grew up as a Preston fan and his dream came true when he signed for the club in January 2013. His first season with the club was very unsuccessful but since the start of the 2013/14 season, Joe has scored 57 times for North End helping him to become a fan’s favourite.

However, Joe struggled for goals last season, scoring just 6, but the performances didn’t stop as his fantastic work ethic is second to none.

With another striker expected to be brought in as well as competition from Jordan Hugill, Simon Makienok and the currently injured Stevie May, Garner will have to fight for his place more than ever.