PRESTON’S lethal weapon Joe Garner believes the team trying to gun down his promotion hopes, Swindon Town, will be fearless at Wembley.

The Lilywhites’ 27-goal striker must be aware he is not going to get as easy a ride as he did last month when Town’s much-changed team succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Deepdale, with Garner scoring all the goals.

After that win in their penultimate game of the season Preston looked odds-on for automatic promotion. However, a shock defeat to League One survivors Colchester on the final day meant Garner and co would have to run the rigours of the play-offs.

North End came through their semi-final with a lot less drama than Town did. Simon Grayson guided his men past Chesterfield 4-0 on aggregate.

Garner notched once in the semi-finals, a penalty in the second leg. He knows a lot of Preston’s hopes hang on his shoulders and is expecting an intrepid opposition on Sunday “Swindon are a top side, an attacking side with some very good players,” said Garner.

“Their manager has done a hell of a good job down there, they probably don’t have very much fear as a team.

“I’m confident that we can get a result if we play as well as we know we can.

“We had that bad game against Colchester a couple of weeks ago.

“While things like that can happen and you have your ups and downs over the course of a season, that one really came at the wrong time.

“We have put that right now, we played well in the two play-off semi-finals.

“The gaffer set us up really well and he deserves a lot of credit for doing that.”

Garner is a boyhood Preston fan and watched them lose at the old Wembley as a youngster, but has not played there himself. The 27-year-old is looking to create some magic at the home of English football.

“It is the first time I have played at Wembley and just to get there is exciting,” he added.

“I went to the old stadium in 1994 when Preston played Wycombe. I was six at the time.

“We didn’t get the result that day but at the age I was, it was things like walking through the crowds on Wembley Way and all the balloons which I remember.

“It is nice to be going as a player this time.

“I’ve made the play-offs five or six times in the past but unfortunately never quite managed to reach the final.

“A lot keeps being spoken about records at this club and, as the manager continues to remind us, records are there to be broken.

“Wembley is a special place, it is the ground which you recognise as the biggest and best when you are a kid.

“You see England play at the ground and there have been some special matches there in the past, both before and after it was redeveloped.”