Five years ago, in 2011, Preston North End were in League One hoping to win promotion from the third tier of English football.
Preston failed to win promotion that season, and finished a disappointing 15th in the League One table.
The club improved on that finish over the next few seasons, finishing in 14th place, before mounting a 5th place finish in 2014. But it wasn't until 2015 that the Lilywhites finally climbed out of League One back into the Championship.
So far in 2016/17, Preston have lost 5 of their opening 6 games, picking up just one win which came away to QPR.
However in the EFL Cup, North End have progressed through to the 3rd round with wins over League Two outfit Hartlepool United and League One's Oldham Athletic.
Preston started poorly last season however, but managed to survive relegation with ease. So there's no reason why Simon Grayson's men can't turn their form around again to solidify themselves as a Championship team.
Football League World writer Rob Booth identifies the THREE best things Preston have done in the last 5 years...
Appointing Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson joined Preston in February 2013, he steered them clear of relegation in his first season in charge, before guiding them to 5th place in the League One table where the Lilywhites eventually lost to Rotherham United in the play-off semi finals.
However the following year, Grayson's side bounced back to finish 3rd in League One, winning promotion via the play-offs after beating Swindon 4-0 at Wembley in emphatic style.
Since his appointment in 2013, the former Blackpool, Leeds and Huddersfield boss has changed the fortunes of Preston North End, by first helping them stay afloat in League One, before winning promotion from the third tier, and they survived in their first season back in the Championship last season.
Bringing in quality up front
Since Grayson arrived at the club, he has brought in some great strikers to the club, which is what's needed when fighting for promotion.
Joe Garner joined the club in 2013 from Watford just before Grayson was brought in, and he scored 49 league goals in his time at Deepdale. His most memorable Preston goal has to be his incredible volley in the play-off semi final against Rotherham.
In 2014 Grayson signed Jermaine Beckford on loan, who he'd coached previously at Leeds and Huddersfield. Beckford scored 12 League One goals in 23 matches, firing Preston to promotion, he scored a hat-trick in the 2015 play-off final as the Lilywhites beat Swindon Town 4-0. He'd also scored from the halfway line in the play-off semis against Chesterfield prior to that game.
Garner and Beckford's goals played a massive role in Preston's promotion, and Garner, who left for Rangers this summer will definitely be difficult to replace.
Staying up last season
After all the hard work that had gone into Preston's promotion to the Championship, it would've been crushing if they'd have gone straight back down.
North End had a poor start to the season, and by September they were 22nd in the league table.
But Simon Grayson galvanised his side, and Preston went on to pick up some great results, beating rivals Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor, as well as picking up points against some of the promotion favourites such as Hull, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby.
Survival means that Preston could build on their squad, and in future seasons can plan a push for promotion as the fans hope to one day return to the heights that the club saw in the days of Sir Tom Finney.
Preston fans... Are these the best 3 things done by the club in the last 5 years? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!