After a 13th-placed finish in the Championship last season, Preston North End are aiming to go a bit better when the 2022-23 campaign starts at the end of July.

North End had a mixed season under both Frankie McAvoy and then Ryan Lowe, with the football on offer being noticeably improved for the most part when the latter arrived from Plymouth Argyle.

Having only been able to sign two players though when he arrived in Bambo Diaby and Cameron Archer, Lowe will now be looking to put more of a stamp on his team now he is taking charge of his first pre-season with PNE.

 

 

 

 

As we get closer to seeing the Lilywhites back in action, let's look at how they may line-up if they were playing in five-a-side competition.

In-between the sticks is pretty much a one-horse race, with new recruit Freddie Woodman taking that spot.

The former Newcastle United man was the Golden Glove winner in the Championship when on loan at Swansea City during the 2020-21 season, and Lilywhites supporters will be hoping for a similar level of form when he makes his debut for the club.

You'd have to say that most of North End's defensive options right now aren't the strongest, and when it comes to five-a-side, perhaps the best of those would be Bambo Diaby.

Even though he's prone to the odd error, the Senegalese centre-back has pace and strength in abundance, so the opposition would find it hard to get around him.

In midfield, Daniel Johnson's technical ability could be complemented by the energy of Ali McCann.

Championship fans know what Jamaica international Johnson can do, having excelled in the second tier since 2015, whilst McCann has just had his first season in England since signing from St. Johnstone and has shown that he does not stop running and putting tackles in.

For the striker position, there's really not much depth to PNE's squad right now in that department, making 21-goal Emil Riis the obvious choice.

Whilst the Dane can lack composure at times, he is very effective when it comes to making quick decisions - something that could translate very well to small-sided games.