This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Fan Perspective’ series, this content strand is where we deliver an opinion-based outlook from the perspective of a certain club's fanbase on the matter at hand...

With every week, it seems less and less likely that Preston's impressive start to the season is going to come to an end anytime soon.

Having picked up after the October international break with a confidence knocking setback that may have threatened to derail their early-season push for a top-six spot as they lost 1-0 away at struggling Reading, Alex Neil's side have responded in hugely impressive fashion.

Since that defeat at the Madejski Stadium, Alex Neil's side have drawn 1-1 with pre-season promotion favourites Leeds United, before fighting back from a 2-0 half time deficit to beat Blackburn Rovers 3-2 at Deepdale, showing not only the footballing ability, but also the fighting spirit that they will need if they are to claim a place in the Premier League for the first time in its history.

Indeed, following those results against Leeds and Blackburn, Preston now occupy the second automatic promotion spot, sandwiched between two of the sides who competed in the play-offs last year in the form of West Brom and Leeds.

Given the company they are keeping, and the form they have shown to get themselves there at the point that is now almost a third of the way through the season, those of a Preston persuasion will surely feel that they have shown more than enough to suggest that they are there to stay for the rest of the season, and that will only have been enhanced by claims emerging from elsewhere.

According to recent reports from a print edition of The Sun (27/10, p61), two of Preston's key players this season: attacker Tom Barkhuizen and defender Ben Davies, are being targeted by none other than Bayer Leverkusen.

It is thought that having monitored Preston throughout the early part of the season, the Bundesliga side have now identified the duo as potential targets for the January transfer window.

While the fact that that interest in two players that have been so important for Preston at their respective ends of the pitch are already attracting such interest, with more than two months still to go until the transfer window reopens, will undoubtedly be a concern for North End, it is something that their fans should also take as a huge sign of encouragement.

[freshpress-poll ]

The fact that Bayer Leverkusen, a side who are currently one of ten teams covered by just five points at the top of the Bundesliga, are interested in two Preston players, appears to show just how well the Lilywhites are performing this season.

With Leverkusen also currently competing in the Champions League - although with just no points from their opening three group stage games they may not be by January - there can be no doubt that they are going to need players of a high calibre to cope with the level they are currently competing at.

Given they apparently see Barkhuizen and Davies as players who fit that bill, Preston fans could be forgiven for starting to believe that in the duo, they have two players in their squad more than capable of playing not just at top flight, but at European level.

If that is indeed the case, then Preston fans will surely feel that there is little reason why those within their squad who possess such ability should be able to get them to the level they themselves are capable of playing at, giving them yet more reason to believe that their long wait for a place in the Premier League may soon be at an end.

It seems therefore, that the next big challenge for Preston, will be to keep Barkhuizen and Davies at the club long enough to reap the full benefits of their potential.