Preston North End's contract situation and the effect it's had on those players
Some of Preston North End's first team players are out of contract next summer as things stand
George HodgsonPreston North End Writer
Preston North End's Ben Pearson (left) Ryan Ledson (right)
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Preston North End manager Alex Neil feels the fans are starting to see a mini-transition phase within the team.
The Lilywhites went to Queens Park Rangers without Ben Davies, Ben Pearson or Darnell Fisher in the match day squad on Wednesday night.
Players who haven't always been in the first-team picture during Neil's tenure are starting to prove their worth and show what they can do.
And the fact that the transition is down to players taking their opportunity and staying in form, as oppose to players moving on, is nice to see for the North End boss.
"Yeah (it's pleasing), and we have lost players as well," he said. "DJ started his first game of the season on Wednesday.
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"If I said to you mid-way through last year that Ben Pearson and Ben Davies would be out, Paul Gallagher hasn't featured and DJ wouldn't have played any games, you'd probably be saying 'wow, what are we going to do?'
"Because those guys have been mainstays in the team and if you look at the last game, three of those four didn't play and DJ played his first game.
"It shows how well some of the other lads have done in stepping up but equally, there is a wee-phase now where some of the younger boys are starting to come through.
"We are going in to a next stage - when managers stay somewhere for a long time you see different phases and nowadays that gets lost because coaches change so often.
"We've invested in younger players over the last two seasons and now guys like Ryan Ledson and Jordan Storey, who have been here for a significant amount of time are stepping up."
While others are impressing, there is also the fact that some of Neil's first-team regulars during his time at Deepdale are running out of contract.
That includes Pearson and Davies, as well as Johnson, Fisher and Alan Browne.
It's been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks and although the Scot feels it isn't really something he's considering when picking his team, it's still a dilemma.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it's on my mind, more-so on the players' minds if that makes sense," he said.
"I think naturally if you are one of them, the simple fact is that their contract does run out.
"And I don't want to make a massive deal of it, but it doesn't go away.
"I think when the window was open, it was certainly more apparent than it is now that the window is closed.
"But equally, we're only about what? Eight weeks away from it opening again?"
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