Preston North End have made a solid start to the new Championship season with two wins and just one defeat from their opening five matches.

The Lilywhites saw manager Simon Grayson depart for Sunderland over the summer and replaced him with former Norwich City chief Alex Neil, who began his reign in fine fashion with a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale on August 5.

The Lancashire-based outfit then drew at Leeds United before going down 1-0 at Derby County on August 15, albeit bounced straight back with victory over Reading, and then drew 0-0 at Middlesbrough to enter the international break in seventh place in the table.

But with just two goals from their first five matches, it’s clear that Neil’s men are struggling in the attacking department, so news of striker Jordan Hugill’s transfer request earlier this week would have been of huge concern to the Preston faithful.

The 25-year-old bagged 12 goals in 44 Championship matches last season to help the side finish 11th in the second tier, and his fine form last term attracted much interest over the summer, with the likes of Birmingham City, Reading and Wolves reportedly launching bids for the forward, and thus drawing a transfer request out of the Englishman.

However, the deadline has passed and Hugill remains a Preston player, which is news that has stimulated quite a response from Lilywhites supporters on Twitter, with many praising the club for holding on to their prized asset…