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The Championship season has been an enthralling one, and there are still plenty of twists and turns to come, with Preston North End potentially on the wrong end of a big surprise from here on out.
Of all the teams in the Championship, few are more middling and predictable than Preston. They’re perennial midtable fodder, but this season is a little different.
Just a few weeks ago it looked like Paul Heckingbottom’s side were destined for another harmless, middle of the road finish to the campaign.
But, with no win in their last six and four defeats in that time, the Lancashire outfit have been dragged into the Championship relegation battle whether they like it or not, and it’s time to wake up before it’s too late.
- READ MORE: Preston North End praised by Championship fans for what they are doing for Plymouth Argyle game
Experts warn Preston North End they’re in big trouble
Discussing the plight of Preston right now, Ryan Dilks and Justin Peach of the Second Tier podcast blasted the club for allowing such ‘complacency’ to creep in at this stage of the season, and suggested they are in genuine danger of being relegated now.
Dilks said: “Preston North End, are they in danger? Two points from their last six games and all of a sudden they’re only three points above the relegation zone again. We just assumed they would be safe for a long time.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 15 |  QPRQPR | 44 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 52 | 58 | -6 | 53 |
| 16 |  PortsmouthPortsmouth | 44 | 14 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 69 | -13 | 52 |
| 17 |  Stoke CityStoke City | 44 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 45 | 60 | -15 | 50 |
| 18 |  PrestonPreston | 44 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 45 | 55 | -10 | 49 |
| 19 |  Oxford UnitedOxford United | 44 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 44 | 62 | -18 | 49 |
| 20 |  Hull CityHull City | 44 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 43 | 52 | -9 | 48 |
| 21 |  DerbyDerby | 44 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 47 | 56 | -9 | 46 |
Peach added: “Yeah I think they’re in danger. If Luton and Derby win again, they’re in trouble. Hull only need one win to overtake them, Oxford just need a point.
“They’ve won just two league games since the end of January. They now play Plymouth who are fighting and Bristol City who might well be fighting for the top six still come the end of the season. This is as precarious as you can get, and the complacency from the players and the club is quite frightening.
“They’re just not winning enough games, and that’s on the players, and Paul Heckingbottom it just feels like he’s at his wit’s end with them now. But I’ve not seen any mention of relegation in his interviews. I wouldn’t back them to win their next two games.
“Teams below them are winning. It’s not inconceivable that we see Preston get relegated based on what we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks. That’s a scary thought.”
The relegation mini league down at the bottom of the Championship has not and should not have included Preston at all, but they have allowed themselves to fall into that trap now.
Could Preston North End actually be relegated?
Three points is nothing really in this intense relegation scrap. As we saw on Monday, the teams at the bottom are giving it everything they’ve got to make it out alive this season.
There’s no reason to believe that Preston have got that same fight in them right now, and as Peach says, they could very easily lose their final two games.
Miron Muslic has got Plymouth firing on all cylinders of late, while Bristol City’s formidable home record will surely stand them in good stead to see off Preston on the final day of the season.
The table doesn’t lie, ultimately, and if Preston do end up going down they may feel like it’s a harsh fate, but that is what happens when you take your foot off the pedal in the Championship.