It's been quite a start to the season for Preston North End.

After finishing 14th in the Championship last season, many would have predicted a season in the chasing pack of teams who were hoping to squeeze into the play-off places.

On current evidence, a top six finish must be a bare minimum expectation.

Alex Neil has guided his team to a stunning start after picking up 31 points from their opening 16 games - a record which puts them in second place.

Of course with 30 games still to go there's a huge amount of water to go under the bridge, but surely the expectation at Deepdale will be to try and maintain some degree of the same form which has served them so well this far.

While the likes of Daniel Johnson and Tom Barkhuizen have stolen the show so far, it's hard to look past the impact that Jayden Stockley has had on the team.

Here we shine a spotlight on the statistics from Stockley's season so far at Deepdale.

While Jayden Stockley's early effort in the 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town was his first goal of the season, it certainly doesn't tell the whole story.

The former Exeter City man has played in 11 games so far this season, yet has only actually started four of these fixtures which perhaps explains the low goals-to-games ratio.

However what Stockley brings to the team when he featured cannot be questioned.

As well as averaging 1.1 shots per game, the target man attracts an average of 1.1 fouls per game - something which has been particularly useful for seeing out the game and forging attacks in the latter stages of games.

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However it's his aerial prowess which really puts him head and shoulders above the rest.

Despite only starting four matches, Stockley wins an average of 5.7 aerial duels per game, showing exactly why he's been so crucial to Preston North End's excellent start.

If Jayden Stockley can continue this impact in the coming weeks - as well as adding to his goal against Huddersfield - then you may be looking at an unsung star who could play a huge role for Preston this term.