DROOL RUNNINGS

It’s all about the effort as Barkhuizen chases No.9 role

up to his usual standard. “I’m more bothered about my running stats than how many goals I score,” admitted Barkhuizen. “I spoke to the gaffer a few weeks ago about playing the No.9 role.

“Having seen it over his time here, it is a selfless role. You do so much running for other people to get chances and, if anything, that epitomises me.

“I do a lot of running and I don’t necessarily score the goals.

“So playing that role suits me when we play a certain way.

“We have that much data now. I do check the running stats.

“I came straight off and said, ‘How much have I run?’ I like to make sure I haven’t lost any pace.”

Preston’s win means they have the Championship’s only remaining 100 per cent home record – but they were helped by a Brentford side struggling to find their feet after wholesale summer changes.

Owner Matthew Benham plays his own version of Moneyball to get the club to overachieve but the latest squad overhaul has yet to bring success following 12 new senior signings.

The Bees are missing last season’s top scorer Neal Maupay after his sale to Brighton and have managed just five goals as a team in seven league games.

But Danish defender Christian Norgaard, one of the new arrivals, said Brentford’s players cannot blame the high turnover of players for their struggles.

He said: “I think it’s the easy excuse. That’s something we have to get away from. It’s not only about the performance.

“It’s about the mentality as a team. We need to win in these difficult away matches.”