After a Bank Holiday performance full of energy and tempo, manager Simon Grayson is looking for a repeat in the first game of 2016.
The Lilywhites welcome Rotherham United to Deepdale and the manager is looking to try and make it a Deepdale double with consecutive home wins either side of the singing of Auld Lang Syne!
“We have to be wary of Rotherham, they had a couple of good results before Tuesday and although they suffered a disappointment at Fulham they have players who can hurt you, but that’s the Championship for you,” said the gaffer.
“Any time you get back-to-back wins in this division it can move you up the league quickly and that’s what we are looking to do on Saturday.
“It won’t be easy, but if we continue to play the same way we did against a good Hull City side, then we will give ourselves every chance of repeating the result.”
The visitors are familiar to the surroundings of PR1 and whilst they have had a change of manager since the early season stalemate, the new man at the New York City Stadium helm is a familiar face for Grayson.
“Redders [Neil Redfearn] was my U18s coach and U21s coach at Leeds, so I am good friends with him,” he continued. “He got harshly treated at Leeds, but there are a few managers who could say that!
“He has gone to Rotherham and knows what he needs to do with that football club. We have had some tough battles with them over the last couple of seasons, but we have to be respectful and make sure that we put on a performance like we did against Hull.
“It is vital that we start the game right; play with a tempo with and without the ball and hopefully get another three points.”
Five days is a big gap between games during the festive period, but the break between the victory over the Tigers and the arrival of fellow Yorkshire side the Millers at Deepdale on Saturday has been of benefit to a number of members of the Lilywhites’ squad.
“The way the games have fallen have been good for us; we needed a reaction from last Saturday and we had a game straight away and then we have had a few days to recover.
“We hope that Alan [Browne] and Hunts [Paul Huntington] will be okay to return and it has given extra time for Paul Gallagher to rest his groins and Bailey Wright to overcome his virus,” added the PNE boss.