Preston North End and Derby County played out a 1-1 draw at Deepdale on Saturday, in a game of few chances.
Another game without a win for the hosts sees them just a point outside of the relegation zone, whilst the Rams are currently four points better off in 11th.
Derby continue to knock on the door away from home
After their seven away games so far this season, Derby have only been able to claim victory once, in a 1-2 win against Coventry City. The other six games have resulted in three draws and three losses.
This draw proved to be another frustrating point to take as after conceding the first goal, the Rams clawed back and seemed to be the better side for the whole second half, however they could not quite find that go ahead goal to seal the win.
Paul Warne made it clear that he intended to change his teams away form from the previous season as it was one of the teams most criticised vulnerabilities, often appearing a completely different side when they were not at Pride Park.
Paul Warne's men face some of the table toppers for their upcoming away fixtures against Leeds United and Burnley, which are sure to be a massive challenge for Derby.
Preston teeter above relegation zone
North End have failed to win any of their last six games, instead having had to settle with four draws and two losses with a matching score line of 3-1 in their defeats to Bristol City and Portsmouth.
As a result of recent performances, they currently sit 20th in the Championship, one point shy of the closest relegation zone team Hull City.
This match against Derby began as a glimpse of hope for Paul Heckingbottom's side as they found the back of the net in the 23rd minute courtesy of Sam Greenwood, yet it was Derby who subsided their hope through Jerry Yates who found the equaliser just six minutes later.
Jerry Yates continues to impress
Scoring the first goal for his side appears to be a favoured experience from the English born striker as Jerry Yates has now scored the first goal for the Derbyshire side in their last three contests, two of which have been the one and only goal Derby have scored for the entire game, so he has been crucial in providing points in recent matches.
It was a slow start to the season for Yates as his first goal came on the 19th of October, however his overall confidence has appeared to improve greatly since then, and his game time reflects his performance so far as he proves himself to Paul Warne that he is the striker that can find the back of the net and make the difference.
It will be interesting to see how long Yates can continue his goal scoring form and if he make it to a four game goal streak when the Rams face Yates' former club Swansea Cityon Wednesday.
Time for measures to be taken at Preston
Although they do not sit bottom of the table, they are not far off the drop zone, which raises the question of what can or needs to be done for the Lilywhites.
It is tough to say if it is as severe as needing a new manger or perhaps a simple rejig of formation to try out players in new positions in hopes it can spark momentum for the team.
In terms of momentum, it might be time to call upon the younger players who have seen minimal or even no game time to not only prove what they can do, but if they can also shock the regular starters into seeing their performance so far have not been good enough.
