Recent acting skipper John Welsh spoke to PNE.Com to look ahead to the trip to Milton Keynes as was full of praise the North End support.
The Lilywhites tough-tackling No.19 says the team was delighted to see approximately 1,000 backing them in Simon Grayson’s first game at Swindon and hopes for more of the same at stadium:mk this weekend.
“It’s brilliant for the lads,” he told the official website. “When we come out onto the pitch and we see a 1,000 plus Preston fans it is unbelievable. They get right behind us and they have been all season.
“Even when we have been on bad runs they have got right behind us, so we thank them for their backing – it just shows the desire and love they have for the Club.
“They get right behind us every game and all we can do it thank them and put in good performances and win for them.”
That ‘12th man’ could play a big part in Buckinghamshire, as the Lilywhites take on a side who look to pass the ball and dominate possession as much as possible: “They like to get the ball down and pass it,” continued the man whose wife had a new baby last weekend. “They’ve got some individually good players and a lot of pace in the side, so we have done our homework on them and we are looking forward to the game on Saturday.
“Work rate is never going to be an issue for us; we are hardworking team and we work hard for one another. We will need a lot of communication within the team, because MK Dons have a lot of movement for their passing style, so it is all about communication, working hard and not forgetting when we get it, to pass it around, work hard and get at them.
“They are in a tough run of form at the minute, so I would imagine that confidence won’t be at its highest at their place and it will give us a chance to get at them.”
The mention of confidence brings us neatly back to PNE, and two good results in two weeks has changed things on the training ground at Springfields. And a week out there without a midweek fixture, has done the squad a world of good according to the former Liverpool man.
“Looking in training, you see lads doing things that they wouldn’t have done three or four weeks ago, so it is a big help. It is going to be a tough game at MK Dons though, it is a tough place to go – they are a good side, even though they have been on a bad run of late – but we’re on a good run, we’ve had a couple of good results against good teams and that puts us in good stead going into the game.
“When you get a free week, like we’ve had this week, it is important to get some work done, especially with the new manager coming in. He has been able to get his points across; what he expects from us and what he wants from us. So it has been a good training week for us.
“We have done a lot of things we wouldn’t normally do under the previous regime; so it has been a good working week for the lads and we have got ourselves right for the game Saturday and we go into full of confidence,” he added.