North End boss Simon Grayson has said that players will be given an opportunity to stake their claim for a starting place if the team end up in the Play-Offs.
The Lilywhites’ chief was speaking at his pre-match press briefing ahead of the visit of Carlisle United to Deepdale and admitted that he may give some different members of his squad a run out over the next five games.
“We aren’t going to tinker or experiment too much,” he said. “We won’t be throwing kids in from the youth team. Some players might get a start who haven’t played recently, but we want to finish the season in a really positive manner.
“I am demanding five wins, if possible, and if we do that, then it gives us good momentum going into the Play-Offs, if that is what it is to be.
“Over the last few weeks we haven’t been frightened of changing our system and the way we have played, depending on the opposition and that won’t change. We have changed the squad around and still won games and that shows how strong our squad is and that will be the case going forward.
“Everyone will want to give me a huge problem come the Play-Off games, because they want to be involved.”
The team have already secured at least a top six finish and the gaffer said that he has no regrets about results or performances that have gone before.
“You look back on the 16 draws and so many of those could have been turned into victories, but all the other clubs will be saying that they dropped points here and there too,” he continued.
“You can’t worry about ifs, buts and maybes and things that have happened in the past, we can’t affect that, we have to look to the future.
“We would have taken this situation when we started the season and I do believe that if we’d had this squad together when we started the season then we would be very close to the top two, because we have some good quality and good characters.
“There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a good season and a successful season so far; a progression season, but it is not finished yet.”
The visitors picked up an excellent three points against Swindon Town last weekend and the manager is under no illusions as to the test his side face as they look to add to back-to-back home wins earned in the last few weeks.
“[Carlisle] are a team that is desperate to stay in the division. It is very tight down there; they got a good victory last weekend. They showed their intentions by bringing Gary Madine back to the club from Sheffield Wednesday, before the deadline and it will be a tough game for us.
“They play a system that will be hard to break down and we have to be clever enough to do that. We have had to experience that quite a bit this season, where teams have made it difficult, and we have to make sure we don’t lose concentration and get undone with a counter-attack.
“It’s a tough game for us, but one we are confident we can win. We won the last two home games and we want to keep that going, because we want the momentum going into the Play-Offs,” he added.