What success for Preston North End looks like this season according to seasoned Sky Sports pundits

EFL pundits Jamie Mackie and Lee Hendrie have played down Preston North End’s hopes of being involved in the automatic promotion race on the backdrop of a slump in form.

The first two months of the season saw Ryan Lowe’s men emerge as the surprise package and into the first international break of the 2023/24 campaign they had been top-of-the-table. A series of injuries however, as well as a series of draws and losses to the teams in and around them have seen them drop down to fourth.

North End are without a win since September 19, and have picked up just two points from a possible 15 in their last five games. It's stark contrast to their five matches prior in which they picked up maximum points.

Former QPR and Nottingham Forest striker Jamie Mackie was in the Sky Sports studio at the weekend, and prior to kick-off he was questioned about Preston North end. The 38-year-old believes the Championship is a stronger league this year, but that a play-off spot isn’t out of the reckoning.

He said appearing on Sky Sports’ coverage on Saturday; “I wouldn't say for Preston that I would expect and I am sure deep down anyone affiliated with Preston would expect them to be at the top of this table. It's an extremely competitive Championship league this year.

“I think last year it was slightly easier in terms of the quality, I think this year it's really gone up a level again. I think under Ryan Lowe they've got a realistic chance of being in the top-half and pushing for the play-offs.

“Being in top one or two is a big big ask in this division, and we noticed it with a couple of players out injured we really noticed the difference in squads running on that kind of budget and size. It's very difficult to compete at the top if you're missing players, and I think we've seen that in the last few weeks.”

Clubs in the division that do not have a big financial backing and have had to tread carefully with their finances in recent years have looked to Coventry City and Luton Town as a potential recipe for success. The Hatters won promotion via the play-offs at the experience of the Sky Blues, who themselves drew plaudits for their ability to get into the play-offs at the expense of some of the bigger teams in the division.

It has been suggested by the former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie however that it isn’t something that Preston North End will emulate. He echoed Mackie’s comments that he believes that the Championship has improved in quality this season, and that their success was an anomly.

Asked what would be regarded as success this season, Hendrie responded: "I think it's bettering last season. I think the last two seasons they've finished more or less identical. They have been there or there abouts. They fell away towards the back end of last season where you felt they might just creep in there and give themselves a chance of the play-offs.

"I think if they are anywhere around the play-offs come the back end of the season. It's what they can do better to actually get in there and get that play-off spot. It's a competitive league and you can't be looking at the likes of Luton and Coventry, and try and match and identify what they did last season. The quality last season wasn't quite as good. I think this season it's edging more and more better.

“Teams are investing more as we've seen but I do feel that they are a team for me that have just sort of got to a good level, but as we can see you only need to look at Millwall who are three points off the play-offs and sitting in a position in the bottom-half of the table. It's a competitive league, and if they can achieve anything better than last season it would be massive for them."