North End winger Danny Mayor spoke to the Lancashire Evening Post ahead of his side's League One Boxing Day clash against Carlisle at Deepdale, Mayor enjoying the last week and a half of training under caretaker managers Graham Alexander and David Unsworth :
“The training since the two managers took over has been absolutely brilliant. It’s been a lot more enjoyable and I think we lost that over the last few weeks. We did not enjoy training as much. From my personal point of view, I think we concentrated a bit too much on shape and not just enjoying our football. I think players need to enjoy their football to play well on Saturday.
“On the first day of training, the managers told us that we are all good players and that we can get up out of this division and they instilled that into us. We went out on Saturday wanting to play for them and give them a great chance of getting the job. I think all the players want them to get the job and I think we did them proud.
“As long as I’m playing, I’m always happy. I think I have actually played better on the left this season, but I thought I did an alright shift on the right on Saturday. I always want to get more goals, I’ve got two this season but I think I should be getting towards double figures. I find it easier to cut in from the left to shoot than I do on the right. The games are coming thick and fast and if we can get a certain amount of points out of these games, we know we can be up there at the end of the season.”
Meanwhile centre-half Craig Morgan commented to his club's official website :
“We were delighted with the win on Saturday evening and then we have had a couple of days off. We have a good couple of days of training, it has been buzzing around the place and there is a really good atmosphere at the moment. I think the work that we had put in just made the win that much better, I think that we showed a great togetherness in the game, so it makes the win even better."
In team news for North End tomorrow they have three definite absentees, one who is also injured but probably wouldn’t have played anyway, and another two players who are a “maybe” for the matchday squad. The trio certainly missing being captain and midfielder Ian Ashbee (knee), fellow experienced midfielder Barry Nicholson (ankle) and, most importantly, striker Neil Mellor who picked up a bad injury in the 1-0 win at MK Dons and underwent an operation on his knee in London on Thursday, Mellor likely to be on the sidelines now for three months.
At right-back Graham Alexander is out with a hamstring problem, but you would guess the 40-year old may not have played anyway due to his new joint managerial role. On the other side of the back four though there might be another absentee as left-back Steven Smith picked up his fifth yellow card of the season at MK Dons and he is currently showing as suspended for the Carlisle game on the FA website. While finally teenage striker Jamie Proctor is struggling for fitness at the moment due to a troublesome groin injury.
Elsewhere in the North End squad meanwhile 6’6 German goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann, who signed for the Lilywhites in November, has on Friday penned an extended 18-month contract, the 30-year old former Aachen stopper now at Deepdale until the end of the 2012-13 season. While giant centre-half Jamie McCombe will also be available for the Carlisle game, Huddersfield having on Thursday attempted to recall their player from his loan spell at Preston only for there to be no recall clause in the initial agreement, McCombe now therefore staying at Deepdale until the New Year.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Steve Rushton from Stoke-on-Trent and he will be assisted down the lines by two Cheshire men in Alan Clayton from Hyde and Mark Duncan from Warrington. Meanwhile the fourth official is Kevin Mattocks from Chorley.