Preston target great escape

Preston North End produced one of the shocks of the season on Saturday as they beat high flying Swansea 2-1 at Deepdale to keep the dreams of Championship survival alive.

Manager Phil Brown and his side will take plenty of confidence from the win but they will now have to turn their attentions to Tuesday night’s clash against Reading at the Madejski Stadium (Reading 4/7, draw 13/5, Preston 5/1 in the match betting).

The Lilywhites sit eight points off safety in the Championship table, with a game in hand over Crystal Palace who sit in 21st place, and have 24 points to play for between now and the rest of the season with Preston hoping to perform a miracle and avoid the drop into League One.

Brown is one of the best managers to have in this position, as he has experience of relegation dogfights after he helped Hull City avoid the drop from the Premier League in 2009.

Preston have started to get a decent run of results in the Championship and they are currently on a three-game winning streak, since they were beaten by Leeds United 2-1 in a disappointing performance from Brown’s side.

Wins over Scunthorpe United, Coventry and Swansea have boosted confidence at Deepdale and they will be looking to pick up more points against play-off chasing sides.

Reading (4/1 to win promotion) currently find themselves in sixth spot having gone on an eight game unbeaten run in the Championship.

Striker Shane Long has been in fine form for the Royals and his brace was enough to give his side a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth on Saturday.

With Nottingham Forest losing to Leeds on the weekend, a win for Reading on Tuesday would give them a three-point lead over the play-off chasing pack.

The Berkshire club have two big games against fellow play-off contenders Leeds and Forest to look forward to but they won’t be able to take Preston lightly in a league as unpredictable as the Championship.

Reading manager Brian McDermott has really lifted the mood at the Madejski Stadium and confidence is high amongst the players.

Preston will be desperate to continue their three-game winning streak but they will have to improve their away form as they have only won three games on the road this season.

Reading are favourites going into this game but with Brown and his players battling for their lives at the bottom of the table, they might bag all three points on Tuesday night.

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