Preston North End

North End host Premier League side Stoke City at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon, and the forward is looking forward to the challenge. 

Speaking of the opposition, Beckford told PNE PlayerHD: "Their style of play has changed completely which is something that not many people will have seen coming. They will be one of the underdogs going into the new season but I don't think they should be written off. 

"I'm not talking about pre-season, I mean during the season, I think they will be strong front-runners. For us to be able to host them here is great for the club and we are all looking forward to it and to test ourselves against higher opposition is exciting. 

"It's exciting to share a pitch with them and to see what they are about first hand and it's just exciting times. 

It is the first competitive game at Deepdale since the end of the 2015/16 campaign, meaning a first opportunity for the new signings to showcase their talent to the Deepdale faithful. The 32-year-old has been impressed with the latest recruits so far, and is looking forward to playing alongside them this season. 

"All of the new signings have been great additions and they all offer something completely different and I'm excited to work with them throughout the season. 

"You can see what each one of them has got with the training sessions we have had so far, so I'm looking forward to getting started. 

Off the pitch, after hearing the news about teammate Calum Woods' knee injury, Jermaine is confident the defender will come back stronger and certainly knows what he is going through first hand. 

"Having been in a very similar situation myself at a similar time as well, I feel for him. I know he's strong mentally, he's a strong character so I'm sure he will pull through with no issues, no problems, and come back stronger on the other side."

To hear more from Jermaine on pre-season, the Stoke game and more head to PNE PlayerHD by clicking on the video below.