Tom Barkhuizen is pleased to see the club getting recognition for their work on the pitch after picking up the Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month award for October.
Barkhuizen picked up the award for his superb winner in the Lancashire derby with Blackburn Rovers at Deepdale, and after collecting the award, he admitted it was nice to get some recognition after a superb start to the season for both him and the squad.
Speaking to PNE.Com, the 26-year-old said: "It's nice to get recognition personally, it was a great game to get a goal like that in and thankfully it got us the three points and at the end of the day that's all that matters.
"It is nice to get the recognition but the most important thing for me is we are second in the league, if I am doing well and contributing then it is only going to help that."
On the goal itself, he continued: It was a nice goal, I don't score many like that so hopefully there are more to come! It was made better by the whole day and the game, the way it panned out.
"We were really poor in the first half and then we came out fighting in the second half and I think that goal topped off a really good afternoon for the whole place. Once we got back in to the game, the whole place lifted, the fans lifted and it lifted us. I think a goal like that comes from confidence of the game and it is always nice."
After a brilliant start to the campaign for Alex Neil's squad, Barkhuizen is pleased to see those outside of the club taking notice, but insists the squad won't be getting carried away as they focus on their main goal.
"It's nice to get the recognition but the most important thing for me is we are second in the league, if I am doing well and contributing then it is only going to help that. DJ has won player of the month, I have been nominated for that, all across the board we are putting in really good, consistent performances and that's why we are second in the league and we need to keep doing that to stay there and reach the end goal.
"It's a long time coming because I think even the first season the gaffer came in, we finished seventh and we didn't really get any credit for that.
"When you look at the budget we work on and the players we get and where they come from, until now we haven't got any recognition for how we have operated as a club and as players and as a team.
"From the staff through to the players, even looking at the gaffer, he's had a good managerial career so far but he didn't have an exceptional playing career. He was like the lads he brings in, he ground it out and made himself a decent career and I think that's what he looks for in the players he brings in and I think as a squad we reflect that. We all work hard for each other and we want to be the best we can be.
"So it's nice to get some recognition from the outside looking in and to see people admiring what we are doing at the moment but from our point of view, we just need to keep our eyes on the prize, which is promotion."