Football Season Guide

Simon Grayson did a stellar job in steering Preston to safety after becoming the Lillywhites' boss in February, but his next job will be much tougher, as he will be expected to deliver promotion this time around. It is quite clear that Preston have underperformed badly during the majority of their previous campaign, with many of their players struggling to come to terms with Graham Westley's methods, and the fans quickly turning their backs on the now-Stevenage manager. The atmosphere around the club completely changed after Grayson took over, and understandably so, as Grayson is a proven manager in the second and third tiers, and knows what it takes to deliver promotions. All of the key players have remained at the club, including keeper Declan Rudd, who signed up for another loan stay with the Lillywhites. The most eye-catching summer coup is former England international Kevin Davies, who signs from Bolton, while Tom Clarke is a quality defender at League One level, while former Motherwell winger Chris Humphrey is also expected to deliver the goods in this division. It also needs to be noted that Iain Hume, who did not want to be a part of Graham Westley's project, is now back from a season long loan at Doncaster - the Canadian is a very classy player to have at this level and will certainly be a useful option for Grayson to have.