 A year-and-a-half after his sustaining his broken leg, Laird returned to the Preston first-team at the start of the 2013–14 season, making his first appearance back when he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw away at Rotherham United on 10 August 2013.He scored his solitary goal of the campaign against his former employers, Stevenage, netting Preston's second goal in a 3–0 win at Deepdale on 14 September 2013.Laird signed a twelve-month contract extension on 17 December 2013, keeping him contracted to the club until the summer of 2015.