Unpredictable Preston worth siding with in League One

Graham Westley actually made Preston worse rather than better when appointed manager in January, but with a full pre-season under his belt, he can turn things around.

Preston are 11/1 to win League One and with the division arguably likely to be weaker than last season with the three relegated clubs of a lesser standard than those promoted, they can make their presence felt.

Sheffield United are rightful favourites at 6/1 and having achieved 90 points last season, will be expected to go close to emulating this figure.

The reported £3m gained from Aston Villa for Matthew Lowton can be put to good use, but they still may have trouble replacing the goals of Ched Evans.

Meanwhile, clubs that have challenged for the title in the previous season are rarely crowned champions in the next campaign.

Charlton were champions last season despite finishing 13th in the campaign before that, while Brighton and Norwich are others in recent memory to have shown little in terms of a promotion challenge before taking the title.

This does not bode well for Sheffield United, but could look promising for Preston, who ended up down in 15th last season, nearer relegation in terms of points than the play-offs.

Under Westley they were not beaten too often, with too many draws the reason for their failure to climb the table.

There were reports that the former Stevenage manager had problems converting some of the squad to his training methods, but a host of new recruits this summer should help iron out this dilemma.

Westley was a big success at Stevenage and if strengthening morale within the Preston camp, can extend on his success at Deepdale.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.