Preston's bullish 'razor sharp' claim ahead of Leeds United clash as goalkeeper makes Elland Road admission

Preston North End will travel to face Leeds United this weekend with a 'razor sharp focus', according to goalkeeper Freddie Woodman. Ryan Lowe's side make the journey across the Pennines to Elland Road in good spirits after picking up a much-needed result in the Championship last weekend against Bristol City.

That 2-0 win was enough to carry Preston back into the top half of the table after a run of two wins in 10 had seen them drop out of the promotion picture. The Lilywhites now know a second result over Leeds, following up on their 2-1 win at Deepdale on Boxing Day, would be enough to take them back to within touching distance of the top six and get their season somewhat back on track.

It's no surprise to hear Woodman describing a camp that is bubbling with confidence ahead of the clash, then, with the former Newcastle man admitting he loves playing in front of the Elland Road crowd.

"It makes a massive difference when you come back into training off the back of a win," Woodman told Sky Sports. "So yeah, we've worked well all week and we are looking forward to the game on Sunday. It is a great place to play football, Elland Road, so we are really excited, full of confidence and hopefully we can go there and put a good performance on.

"It's tough for everyone in and around the football club when you are going through a tough spell. But, it is important that the team stays together and people around the training ground all stick together, to push in the right direction and try put things right. I feel like, in the build up to the Bristol City game, that is what everybody did. We had a real, clear focus going into the game and I felt like it paid off. We went back out in the second half and got the result we wanted.

"I think we've come back in this week and had that same, razor sharp focus. We will go into the game on Sunday with a game plan and hopefully we can execute it. I think it's great (away at Leeds). Having experienced it a few times now, it is actually one fixture I do look out for when the list comes out - playing Leeds away. And obviously we had a good result against them on Boxing Day, so we will be looking to try and do the same at Elland Road."