Beckford praise for Garner

Jermaine Beckford admits his fellow Preston striker Joe Garner is even better than he first thought.

Boyhood North End fan Garner has followed up last year's 24-goal haul by reaching the 20-goal mark again this term, a milestone he reached with a four-goal display against Crewe last weekend. Loanee Beckford, now back to full fitness following a worrying ear infection, loves playing up top with the 26-year-old and admits the extent of Garner's talents has taken him by surprise. "He's a lot better than I thought he was, and I don't mean that in a negative term," said Beckford. "You get an understanding of people's goalscoring records, especially as a forward, and you take notice of people that play in your position and he's someone who has scored goals for a while now. "But, until you've played alongside someone or seen them first hand, you don't really understand the impact that they actually have. "He's somebody that has had a very strong impact at the club and it's great to play alongside him, long may that continue." Beckford has plied his trade in the Premier League before and believes his new strike partner is every bit as good as those who he used to play alongside at Everton, Leicester and Leeds. "He's up there, there's no shadow of a doubt," the 31-year-old added. "Especially with his size, you don't realise how strong he is or how clever he is or how good his timing is in terms of heading."