We have all been there as football fans, when you think all hope has disappeared.

You cannot see where the next point is coming from and every trip to the ground feels more like an obligation than an occasion.

I have spoken to people who were at Deepdale on Saturday and they all felt pretty much that way before the home match against Southampton.

After the worst start to a league campaign anyone can remember, what evidence was there that North End could suddenly produce a performance capable of troubling one of the division's promotion favourites?

With the exception of Saints fans, Preston's 1-0 win over Southampton is exactly the sort of result that reminds you why so many of us love the game.

It shows how football can affect our lives, how much better a weekend feels after a win and how you can justify the cost of a match ticket when everything else seems so expensive that something has to give.

I am told the first-half display was as good as it has been for a very long time.

There was high pressing, energy, steely determination in every department and a glorious goal worthy of winning any match. Jordan Thompson, take a bow.

It could prove to be the day that Graham Alexander's expectations finally clicked with his squad, a few games later than he would have hoped.

Of course, games like this are never going to be plain sailing. The second half was always going to test bodies, minds and mentalities.

Perhaps nothing summed that up more than Thierry Small running himself into the ground, desperately trying to rediscover the form that made him such a hit at the start of last season.

Alexander is far too experienced to get carried away by one result, but he will also recognise the encouragement this performance should provide.

He has already added Greg Docherty, whose arrival has brought fresh energy and leadership, and there is every chance further additions will follow when the transfer window opens.

Just as importantly, Lewis Gibson, Harry Clarke and Ali McCann will all return.

Given their quality and experience, they have the potential to make a struggling squad instantly stronger.

In many ways, their comebacks could prove every bit as important as new signings.

The goalkeeping department is evolving too. Lee Nicholls got his chance and took it, with Daniel Iversen taken out of the firing line for the first time.

Iversen told me recently how disappointed he had been with his own form and, for goalkeepers, there is simply nowhere to hide.

Only he will know whether it came as a relief to be told he was not playing.

Nicholls justified his inclusion with an assured display and a remarkable save from a long-range effort that took a deflection.

Most importantly, he helped deliver something North End desperately needed - a clean sheet.

That clean sheet should not be underestimated. It ended a drought stretching back to February and gives the team a platform on which to build.

Any survival bid will be founded on defensive solidity and for the first time in a while there was tangible evidence they can achieve it.

Return of familiar faces will add value

Carlo Nash will have a part to play in that. He has replaced Mike Pollitt in looking after the goalkeepers on a daily basis.

He was renowned for keeping clean sheets during his own playing days at North End.

Youl Mawene is also back on the staff, and what a welcome return he is. His title is head of performance and fitness.

For impressionable 10-year-olds heading to Deepdale in 2005, the men they now see on the coaching staff at the age of 31 were once the goalkeeper and three members of the back four from those halcyon days when promotion to the Premier League seemed close enough to reach out and touch.

These people are more than qualified for their roles, but having North End in their hearts certainly will not hurt.

There is, I believe, genuine value in having people around the club who understand its culture and standards, particularly during difficult periods.

The facts remain sobering. Preston are seven points from safety and have won only two of their opening 15 league games. The scale of the challenge is obvious.

As the old saying goes, one swallow does not make a summer. Let's see how the next few games unfold before deciding whether this pre-international break victory was truly a turning point.

The players have shown they can win a game. They can keep a clean sheet. They can run further than they have at any point this season. The question is whether they can repeat those feats regularly enough to escape the deep trouble they find themselves in.

They have four away trips before Christmas; West Ham, Cardiff, Burnley and Swansea. At home they face Norwich, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough.

Predicting Championship results is a futile exercise in any season, and perhaps even more so this one.

But when Christmas morning arrives, will there still be a gap to safety? And if there is, how big will it be?