Preston ended a seven-game streak without a win over the weekend when they beat Coventry City 3-2 at Deepdale.
The three points hauled them back into the top six in the Championship and they are occupying the last playoff spot at the moment.
There are expectations that Preston will eventually fall away from the playoff spots, but Parkin believes there is enough room for optimism for the team.
He pointed out that several injuries to key players are now clearing up and Preston’s squad depth will come to the fore in the coming months.
The former attacker is still not sure whether they will be in the playoff spots but he is expecting Preston to be a top-half Championship team this season.
Parkin said on the What The EFL Podcast: “What would make me optimistic is probably the return of some major players and the depth of the squad now.
“You had [Will] Keane on the bench the other day, Ched Evans has recovered now from the really nasty issue that he had.
“I really like the make-up of the eleven and they have still got a couple of left-sided centre-backs out, hence Kian Best, the young lad we spoke about in the early part of the season at left wing-back, played left centre-back.
“But you have [Greg] Cunningham and [Andrew] Hughes who are experienced boys and a big reason for the defensive record last season.
“There is more to come and the squad have got more depth to follow and I would be optimistic that they can hang around the top half, I am not sure about playoffs still.”
Preston will next take a trip to Ewood Park on Friday night when they will face Blackburn Rovers.
