Depending on whether you are someone who sees a glass half empty or half full, the omens could have been bad or good going into Saturday's campaign opener against Ipswich at Portman Road.
For the pessimists, the omens looked ominous, the Lilywhites are traditional slow starters and were travelling to a place where only one Championship side managed to escape from with three points last season. The omens for the optimists were more encouraging, PNE had enjoyed their best run of pre-season form for many a year and were travelling to a venue where in August, Preston have prospered in modern times, the Lilywhites have won 5-1 and 4-0 at Ipswich in the opening month of the season, in living memory too. PNE had won two of their last three visits to Suffolk.

But those of you who have followed Preston's pre-season fortunes will know that Saturday's match owed nothing to omens, luck or any other kind of witchcraft. Alan Irvine's side had put a lot of hard graft in the summer, it was their hardest pre-season ever and they weren't going to allow a debut goal from Ipswich's Kevin Lisbie spoil all that, even if it did come after just 90 seconds.

Ok, the home side might have steamrollered PNE in the opening stages of the game as Preston's players got to grips with things. But when Paul McKenna rolled back the years to produce the kind of strike that used to get David Moyes purring, there was only going to be one winner. Preston knocked the ball about with authority, Ipswich were chasing shadows, 13 minutes after McKenna had silenced the home crowd with his first goal in twenty months, he showed all his guile and experience to take a quick free-kick which ended with Simon Whaley showing his goalpoaching instincts with what proved to be a worthy winner.

Magilton's men regrouped in the second half and threw every they could at thei visitors, but a fantastic rearguard, one finely tuned in the relegation dogfight of last season, saw Preston home and PNE's travelling army celebrated.

Those fans had made the long journey more in hope than anticipation. Few knew what Alan Irvine's strongest side was, Brown had fallen by the wayside in midweek but the battle for starting positions across the pitch was intense. Billy Jones got the nod over Michael Hart whilst Chris Sedgwick's impressive conversion to a left-winger meant that Ross Wallace would have to settle for a place on the bench.

Wallace's countryman, Barry Nicholson, made his debut for the Lilywhites but it was Ipswich's debutant, Kevin Lisbie, who took the gloss off of PNE's shiny new season. He pounced after just one and half minutes, Danny Haynes clipping a cross to the near post, Lisbie found himself between St. Ledger and Lonergan and nodded home.

Lisbie looked like lightening, Counago was showing the kind of skills that attracted the interests of Preston just a couple of seasons ago. The pair almost combined to make it 2-0 on 15 minutes, Counago scuffing his shot from 18-yards out after been given a clear sight of goal from Lisbie's trickery.

After the match Alan Irvine said that his side's season started at 3.15pm. Few observers would argue with the opinion. Something just clicked, like an actor who had suddenly remembered his lines, whatever it was, Paul McKenna was centre-stage. Cutting in from the left flank, Chris Sedgwick beat two markers and the Ipswich defence retreated in anticipation of a cross, but nobody had spotted McKenna lurking 25-yards out from goal. After the game McKenna and Sedgwick would joke that it was a 'buffet pass - one served to you on a plate', it's been a long time since McKenna has been given the opportunity to set his sights like this, a long time since he's hit one so sweet. Top corner, postage-stamp stuff, former England keeper Richard Wright had no chance and it was 1-1.

From this moment onwards Preston were back to Plan A. You could see the confidence grown in the team, every man wanted the ball, to such an extent that McKenna and Chaplow tackled each other in front of goal on the half hour mark, if Lisbie was as sharp with his feet as he was with his head it could have been a real disaster.

But McKenna wasn't done yet. Preston boss Alan Irvine had warned his side prior to the game about Ipswich's danger from free-kicks, but he'd also suggested that Magiton's men may have a weakness when defending free-kicks themselves. Two quick free-kicks, the second saw McKenna slot a sublime ball through to Billy Jones in the right-hand channel, they were literally queuing up in the middle and Simon Whaley was the lucky recpient.

Whaley might not be considered a natural striker but he showed the instincts of his team-mate Neil Mellor to score. Five minutes later and Mellor was doing an impression of Whaley, picking the ball up deep, beating his marker before unleashing a shot from 25-yards out that Wright did well to save.

Preston were untroubled up to the break but as expected Jim Magilton's side were not going to surrender their fine home record without a fight. The second half saw Ipswich throw caution to the wind with attacking substitutions aplenty and Owen Garvan being released from his defensive shackles to bomb forward.

Garvan probably had his side's best opportunity to get back into the game three minutes after the break. Lisbie and Hayes had launched a quickfire attack down the left, Mawene and Jones looked to have it covered though, only for the Frenchman to blast the ball into the backside of his team-mate, Garvan pounced, eight-yards out, but he slid his shot across the face of goal. The relief in PNE's defensive quarters was clearly audible.

Ipswich would not have as good a chance as that in the game again. Alan Lee's introduction would mean that the balls were pumped up to the frontline higher and more direct but that was meat and drink to St. Ledger and Mawene, even the headline writer's dream introduction of Jordan Rhodes failed to spark Ipswich's attack into life. Dad Andy would have the last laugh in this affair, despite Rhodes Jnr's best attempts.

Alan Irvine said in his post-match press conference that this was the two sides of Preston North End. Thankfully it was the best two sides, the craft, guile and skill to carve out a lead followed by the guts, desire and determination to hang onto that lead.

Preston don't normally do opening day wins. The omens are good.

Can North End back up their opening day success with a fine performance in the first home fixture this campaign against Crystal Palace on 16th August? It's the event no PNE supporter can afford to miss with the Invincibles Pavilion officially opened and Deepdale completed. Call 0870 442 1966 or visit mypne.com to book today.