Paul Huntington is looking for a positive result against Leeds on Saturday after PNE suffered losses against the Yorkshire side last season.
Although beaten, Hunts doesn’t believe that the result at Elland Road painted a fair reflection of the contest but he isn’t dwelling on the game. The Cumbrian won’t be taking anything for granted and is relishing the challenge of North End’s first away league match.
Speaking to iFollow PNE he said: “It’s another tough game, the first away game in the league and we’re looking to build on what we did on Saturday. We know it’ll be a different type of game and its one we’re looking forward to.
“They’re a strong side, last year they were unlucky to miss out on the Play-Offs. We’ll be looking, on a team level, to do better against them than we did last year. At our place they were the better side but I think away from home the scoreline didn’t tell the story about the game.”
“That was last year, we’ve got off to a positive start and we’re looking to carry that on; we know it will be a tough game, there are no easy games – especially away – in the Championship. We know we’ll have to start well and be ready for the challenge.”
Huntington spent three years at Leeds and the 35,000 crowd expected for the game will be something he grew used to but he also will have experienced the other side of the Elland Road faithful. The defender feels it is important to only play the game and not the occasion.
“It’s a great place to play and for the home side it’ll be great if the fans get behind them – it can have a reverse effect at the same time. After the first 20-30 minutes the crowd does get edgy and can show that frustration that maybe they expect to be up there and challenging.
“We’re just looking at the game in isolation really, on its own it’s 90 minutes - it’s away from home, we know what to expect, we know it’ll be a tough task and we’re looking to put on a positive performance.”
Tommy Spurr has become the latest partner for Paul in the heart of the Lilywhites’ defence, starting with a clean sheet against Sheffield Wednesday – keeping out the likes of Jordan Rhodes and Fernando Forestieri. Hunts wants to build on his relationship with Tommy and to continue to shut-out the division’s best strikers, with last season’s top goalscorer Chris Wood in opposition on Saturday.
“He feels really comfortable there and we’re still getting to know each other’s game but I thought he did great on Saturday, the more we can build those relationships it will benefit us both and the team.
“It’s a different type of task and another very good striker in the division. We’ve got to keep their better players quiet and that’ll give us a better chance of winning the game.”
Watch the full interview with Paul Huntington by clicking on the video above.