Preston's upturn down to 'shifting' negativity

Preston North End have lost just once in their past eight games

Preston North End are beginning to forge a better mindset which has coincided with their improved Championship form, boss Paul Heckingbottom has said.

The Lilywhites beat play-off-chasing Norwich City at Carrow Road on Tuesday in an impressive display against a team which had only lost two league games at home since November 2023.

Heckingbottom's side are now 15th in a crowded Championship table but just five points off the play-off places, having been second from bottom when he arrived in August off the back of conceding five goals in their opening two games.

"We've put ourselves in a good position now," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We're still stuck in 15th and stuck in that quicksand which we can't get out of. For us, where we were at the bottom of the league and having not scored a goal, I felt a lot of negativity around the place for different reasons which we wanted to try and shift.

"I feel we're shifting it. We're still in the FA Cup, we're still performing well but from my point of view and the basic things I focus on, we've put ourselves in a position where we've caught all those teams who've had a better start on us, so now when we win we can go past teams, whereas before we were always chasing and the gap was too big."

Preston's win at Norwich meant they have now lost just one of their past eight in the league and FA Cup, with a Lancashire derby against Burnley teed up in the fifth round.

Their position in the table is less a reflection on their recent results as it is a competitive tussle in a finely poised Championship, but Heckingbottom has urged his side to be bold in their pursuit of a further revival.

"I want to enjoy watching us play. When I've been critical of us, I thought we've looked like a five-a-side team and pretty footballers but not effective ones," he added.

"We want to be bold, so the majority of the time we've been that and been very good."