17-10-2025, 16:33
![[Image: image-14.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/spzMmZ77/image-14.jpg)
If points on the board are what matters, then the three we bagged in the last week before the break were a welcome boost, but the quality of the two performances - especially the dismal capitulation at Millwall - left a lot to be desired and a lot to be rectified in the remainder of this month, beginning with Saturday's match against Preston: a clash of two sides almost poles apart in form, just three sides bettering PNE since the beginning of September and only two out-bumbling Albion in the same period. Preston's rise up the table has been built on solid defence, encompassing four clean sheets in the last seven games; however, squandering a 2-0 lead at Hull on their last awayday suggests they're still not invulnerable on the road, and the absence of Robbie Brady and Will Keane further hampers them in this encounter. We're certainly not runaway favourites to win this one by any means, but as victory has now eluded us in B71 since the opening game of the season, it increasingly feels like there's a monkey on our back we need rid of, and it'll only get bigger the longer that winless home run continues.
Failure to pick up three points on Saturday will pile a lot more pressure on our visit to Vicarage Road on Wednesday night, a tough venue where Watford have been reasonably solid so far this season. All things being equal, a draw would suffice there, but our aim may require adjustment if the weekend doesn't go according to plan.
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
