Preston North End’s joint top scorer Tom Barkhuizen grabbed his fourth goal in five games at the weekend.
Since his return to the side, after a spell on the bench, the winger has been in fine form and he is looking to continue that when Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough visit Deepdale on Wednesday evening.
Speaking to iFollow PNE ahead of the 7pm kick-off he said: “I’m doing okay on the goals front. I went quite a while without a goal in the league, so to have one of those spells where I get a few back-to-back is a good thing and hopefully I can keep going.
“It has probably been a trend that our wingers get the most goals. The gaffer has changed – certainly in the last couple of games – our system a little bit to push me and Scotty [Sinclair] in more attacking areas and at Bournemouth we both scored.
“He is trying to utilise our strengths and I think that we have scored a decent amount of goals this season, but most of them have been away from home and hopefully – having got a couple at home on Saturday – we can keep that going.”
As well as playing on the forward line, the No.29 has also played right wing back, left wing back and filled in as an out and out left back on Saturday, but he is happy to be back playing: “I have started to be a bit like Browney, filling in wherever the gaffer needs me.
“I think I can do a decent enough job, given the state of the game, if he wants to put other attacking options on and drop me back, that is fine.
“No player wants to be subbed, you want to play the full 90 minutes every week, so if you can play different positions then it is a good thing.”
And he also believes that his little spell out of the side is helping fitness wise: “Not being in the team for about six weeks has probably helped me,” he continued.
“At that point I was quite frustrated that I had lost my place due to suspension, but I feel like going into this month, with so many games, that I do feel fresh.
“I spoke to Scotty the other day and he has started virtually every game and he is a few years older than me, but thankfully he keeps himself in such good nick that he can keep going and going and going.
“I feel okay. No doubt by Christmas time it will start catching up on us, like it will every team, because the schedule is relentless – it is really difficult, but it is something we have to do.”
The point against Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers was a result Barky found ‘very annoying’, but says that if the side can get a win against Boro, that point could look a lot different.
“Seven from nine always looks good. I can’t imagine many people thought we’d go to Bournemouth and win, so at the moment four from six is okay, but we would have liked it to have been six and the fact we went to Bournemouth and won and then didn’t follow it up is very annoying
“But if we go and win on Wednesday it looks a better week, puts us in a better position and everyone forgets about the last game, so let’s go and try and win the game and keep moving forward.
“I imagine it will be similar to the Sheffield Wednesday game, they are not too dissimilar in their styles.
“Tony [Pulis] and Neil [Warnock] have good pedigree at this level and know how they are going to play, but the good thing for us, is that we know how they are going to play as well and we can try and figure out a way to get past it and try and win the game.
“We will be giving everything, like we always do and hopefully we can get the win,” he added.