Ali McCann names the Preston North End signing which pleased him as season aim set out

Two years of Ali McCann has flown by at Preston North End but he’s ready to lead by example and play a pivotal role this season.

The Lilywhites kicked off their Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw at Bristol City last weekend. McCann’s performance came in for particular praise in the aftermath of the Ashton Gate encounter, with his energy and tenacity in the middle of the park crucial as PNE battled back to take a point.

McCann, 23, has 66 appearances under his belt in Preston colours and has shown the impact he can have on North End as a team when he’s on his game. As he enters his third season as a PNE player, though, the importance of taking his game to the next level and starting the majority of matches is not lost on him.

“I am settled here,” said the Northern Ireland international. “I’ve been here for two years and I’m completely settled in the group, so it’s a massive year for me to sort of kick on and cement myself in the team week-in-week-out. It’s started well, so hopefully it continues. I feel like I did quite well at Bristol and that’s all we can go off so far, so hopefully I’ll stay in the team for this weekend and go from there.

“I am happy wherever (I play) to be fair. I like playing deeper but I also like getting forward a bit, so whatever I am asked to do I’ll just do it. (Some more goals) would be nice – I could’ve had a couple on Tuesday night. It’s been a while and I feel like I should contribute more, but hopefully it drops at some point.

“If you are playing as one of the eights in a two then you’ve got the license to get into the box, but if you’re on your own a bit deeper then it’s more difficult. If you are deeper and go into the box then one goes and one sits, so it just depends mid-game. You want to be loading the box and not leaving the strikers isolated, so it’s one of them where you hope it just drops for you to put away.”

McCann speaks to the media as he prepares for a morning of analysis, ahead of PNE’s encounter with Sunderland on Saturday. It is the first Championship fixture of the season at Deepdale, as North End look to avenge their disappointing final day defeat to the Black Cats last season. Tony Mowbray has some stand out individuals at his disposal though, so McCann is well aware of the task at hand.

“They (Sunderland) are really sharp,” he said. “They have Roberts, Clarke, Pritchard; they don’t have (Amad) Diallo this year but they are all good players, so you’ve got to be on your guard against them because they always cut inside. We will look at that, but if you give them chances then you’ll get pushed – like we saw for those 15 minutes last season. But, we’ll be on it I’m sure.”

On the pre-match analysis meetings, McCann added: “They are long and there’s a lot of info to take in. But, this year’s been quite good. We’ve split it up into Thursday and Friday for in possession and out of possession stuff, set pieces, that kind of thing. It is probably a good 20 or 30 minutes in the morning, but it needs to be done.

“We did loads for Bristol and you could sort of see it. Our shape was good, so it does pay off. It’s just clarity really isn’t it? If you are caught in the middle then it can all fall apart. But, like I say, I think we got it spot on at Bristol. Games will be different, so you’re not going to play the same every week, but you just need to know when and how to press.”

McCann went through pre-season with plenty of the club’s young players involved with the senior squad. A handful of those have stayed in the mix as the season starts and PNE’s number 13 believes they have equipped themselves well over the last couple of months. And as for the summer programme, McCann felt the group’s work was strong.

“It’s like that sometimes, because it can take time getting players in,” said the PNE man. “But, I think you’d rather that than rushing it, because you want to get the right players in – which I think we have. So, it’s just one of them and the young lads did well. They didn’t affect the standards in training, so all good.

“We’ve changed it up a little bit (in training). It’s usually the back three with three in the middle and two up top, or the box (midfield) with the one up top. It depends who you are playing against, but it’s been a lot of shape work and getting your timings right within the shape – with everyone swapping in and out so everyone knows what they are doing. There has been a lot of change, but the core of the group is really strong and we’ve brought in players with lots of Championship experience, which is huge at this level.

North End’s midfield lost club stalwart Daniel Johnson along with Josh Onomah this summer, but Duane Holmes – who opened his account for the season against Salford City in midweek – has caught the eye along with fellow recruit Mads Frokjaer. The pair have impressed McCann so far, who is glad to have Holmes on his side for a change.

“It was always going to be a case of getting someone to fill that role, which was difficult because DJ had been brilliant for years,” said McCann. “But, I think you’ve seen from those two players so far that they have quality. Mads, you saw his two finishes against Aberdeen, so hopefully there’s more of that to come. And Duane on Tuesday night was class I thought.

“He was buzzing around and I always found playing against him really difficult, so those two in our squad gives us two good options. We were saying on the bench, me and Leds, that every time you played against him (Holmes) you thought you were in for a tough night. He’s so sharp and good on the ball, so yeah if he plays like he did on Tuesday then I’ll be buzzing for him.”