On loan frontman Eoin Doyle believes there will an avalanche of goals coming the way of the Lilywhites forwards after a slow start to the season.
It was a stop-start time when the Irishman joined the Lilywhites on a season long loan from Cardiff City on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Unavailable for cup games, unavailable against his parent club and a couple of international breaks thrown into the mix, patience was a key word for the Irishman during the first couple of months in PR1.
However, that’s all now out of the way, he is in the side and feels that all he now wants is a goal.
“It was a difficult few weeks, with the international break falling in that period as well, so it felt like an age without being out on the pitch, but things are good now, I am available now and hopefully I can stay in the team for a while and a try and get that goal,” he told The One And Only when we sat down at the Springfields Training Ground before the weekend.
“It has been a good couple of weeks for me. It felt a long time without being able to kick a ball, so it was good to get that out of the way and then getting away with the lads for a week was good as well. The results were brilliant as well and going forward I think things look good. We look dangerous and solid, so it is looking for good for us.
“I don’t think I have had a shot in the games I have had so far! But the bounce game [At Blackburn, where he scored an impressive hat-trick] was good to get a few goals under the belt, but it was more the 90 minutes that I needed. That game came after a few weeks of not playing, so the match was useful for me and the goals were a bonus.”
As one of a sextuplet of striking options that manager Simon Grayson has at his disposal, the Dublin-born No.13 thinks that quality should be of a high level, although he admits that at this present time, he’d be happy with any sort of goal, from any of the front men.
“There are six of us here and none of us have scored yet and we’re at the end of October, so it is a strange one, but the lads behind us have been doing great and have nicked the odd goal to help us out, but it will come.
“It is always a famine or a feast with strikers and when one goes in then it will start to flow, we just need to get that first one out of the way.
“You can see the chances are being created. Garns came on at Brighton and had a couple great chances and was really unlucky with both; there wasn’t more he could do with them – once we the one we’ll be happy enough.
“I’d take one off my ear at this stage as long as it went in; I’d be happy enough with that!
“I am my own biggest critic, as most footballers are and at the end of the day I will only get judged on my goals, because of the position I play in, so it is important for all of us to get off the mark and once you do that it is easier. Once you get the first one out the way, you don’t have to think about it as much and I am looking forward to that.
“You can overthink things, try too hard and put too much pressure on yourself sometimes and you need to relax and let the ball do most of the work and I am sure we’ll all get the goals.
“The coaching staff have been brilliant with us all. We all work hard for the team and do the defensive side of the game as well and the staff see that, so the pressure isn’t being put on us to score the goals, other than that pressure we put on ourselves.”
You can read more from the PNE No.13 plus features with John Welsh, Daniel Johnson, Greg Cunningham, Neil Kilkenny and Bailey Wright in Tuesday night’s edition of The One And Only, on sale from the Club shop from Tuesday afternoon and from sellers inside and outside the ground on the night – 84-pacled and perfect bound pages for just £3.