Preston North End goalkeeper Chris Maxwell has signed a new contract, committing him to the club until at least the summer of 2020.
The 26-year-old shot stopper only joined the Lilywhites last summer, following the end of his contract at fellow Lancashire club Fleetwood Town, but has extended his stay by a further 12 months from his original deal.
He earned a place in the side in September and has retained the No.1 spot since, making 29 appearances so far this season, in which time the team have only lost four league games in the Sky Bet EFL Championship.
The Welshman spoke after putting pen to paper and is targeting the next step with the club: “I'm absolutely delighted. It is fantastic knowing that I'm going to be here for an extra year as well.
“It gives me an opportunity to help progress Preston North End and hopefully progress myself in the process.
“When I first came here I said I wanted to make the No.1 shirt my own, I wanted to play week in, week out for Preston North End and at the moment I'm doing that.”
Manager Simon Grayson hopes that his current No.1 will continue to improve and that his goalkeeping group will push each other.
“We are delighted Chris has signed a new contract,” said Simon. “He has been a big part of the team since he earned his place, but he has to continue to work hard. He is keeping another good goalkeeper out of the side at the moment in Anders Lindegaard and it is good to have a high level of competition and hopefully they will continue to push each other to even better things.”