Preston North End

Brett Ormerod
Former Preston North End striker

Image source, Rex Features

You will not have seen a more entertaining or better game in the Championship this weekend as Preston North End drew 2-2 with leaders Middlesbrough.

North End were immense from start to finish. The draw is probably about fair on the whole.

For me, Ali McCann and Jordan Storey were immense.

It was a quality game with goals for both teams and I'm shattered having watched it. It was a great advertisement for the Championship.

Last time I came to Deepdale to watch North End, it was completely different, chalk and cheese.

If fans were told they would get seven points out of nine from home games against Leicester, Ipswich and Middlesbrough, they would not have believed you. I would not either, on the strength of last season's performances.

But seeing that, wow. It was an unbelievable performance, and Paul Heckingbottom should be absolutely delighted with his team.

Preston North End and Middlesbrough will face off on Saturday (12:30 BST) having each made impressive starts this season.

Preston have seven points from four games, getting notable wins against promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town and Leicester City.

Middlesbrough are currently the only side in the top four tiers of English football to have won their opening four games.

• Preston North End are unbeaten in each of their last three league matches against Middlesbrough (W2 D1) and have won six of their previous 10 league games against them (D1 L3).

• Middlesbrough have lost each of their last five away league games against Preston North End; they last lost six successive away league games to a side in May 2017, against Chelsea.

• Preston have won both of their home league games so far this season; they last won three in a row in the league at Deepdale in February 2024, with the third win in that run coming against Middlesbrough.

• Middlesbrough remain the only side in the Championship with a 100% record, winning all four of their games so far and conceding only once. They've never won their opening five league games of a Football League campaign before.

• Middlesbrough's Tommy Conway has scored in his last two league games, with both strikes ultimately acting as the winning goal. He last scored in three consecutive matches in August 2022 with Bristol City.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has said he is "delighted" with the deadline day signing of Harrison Armstrong.

The midfielder has joined on a season-long loan from Everton as he looks for a full season in the Championship.

Heckingbottom's Preston have brought in 12 new additions over the course of the summer window.

"All the business we did I was really pleased with, we worked really hard, and it was non-stop right up until getting Harrison done at the very end," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I think we've got good squad depth, we've got good competition and hopefully we'll start to see that reflect in the bench that we can use, pre-game with the selections we make for the 11, or during a game with the 16 that take the field so it's going to be important throughout the season."

Armstrong recently scored on international duty for England Under-18s against Spain and captained the side coming off the bench to equalise in a 3-3 draw.

"He's young in age but he's mature in terms of his mentality, how he wants to succeed, his performances are already mature on the pitch," said Heckingbottom.

"It's not one where it's like a last minute, take the player - we like Harrison and we wanted to get him and beat a lot of people for him, it was just a case of will Everton let him out?"

The 18-year-old made 15 appearances for Derby in the second half of last season and will be looking to build on those minutes at Deepdale.

"When he played at Derby he played deep, he can do that, get on the ball, break things up and compete defensively," said Heckingbottom.

"I think we can get more out of him in terms of getting on the front foot and press high and getting in the box, we want goals from all over the pitch."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Preston North End defender Andrew Hughes says there is "no-one to fear" in the Championship as they prepare to face league leaders Middlesbrough in Saturday's early afternoon game (12:30 BST).

North End are ninth on the table and have earned big wins against relegated sides Leicester City and Ipswich Town, although they did lose last time out against Portsmouth.

However, both their victories were earned at Deepdale and Hughes is feeling confident they can keep their 100% winning record on home soil this weekend.

"To get off to a good start, it's crucial because it gives you confidence going into games," Hughes told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We've played some really good sides early on as well and we've gone toe-to-toe so there's no-one to fear in this league and the manager has stated that. On our day, we are a match for anyone.

"The break probably came at the wrong time for us because we do want to keep the momentum but we just need to make sure we are all at it again at the weekend."

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom said he thought his side played well in their 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth.

"Nothing fell for us in the second half, I was pleased with the performance," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Not our day, another deflection. We've conceded three goals [this season], two of them deflections, one of them an own goal.

"But the performance was strong again, difficult place to come here. I think the fact we were so dominant in the second half was credit to the players and how we approached it but nothing would fall for us."

Image source, Getty Images

Jeppe Okkels has left Preston North End after one season, joining Swedish club Djurgardens for an undisclosed fee.

The Denmark Under-21 international made 10 appearances for the Lilywhites last season, seven of them in the Championship, without scoring.

The highlight of his Deepdale stay was scoring two penalties in the dramatic 16-15 penalty shoot-out win over Premier League Fulham in the Carabao Cup.

He was loaned out to Aberdeen for the second half of the last season with an option to buy, but that was not exercised after he appeared 18 times for the Scottish Premiership side.

After a win and a draw on the road, John Mousinho's Portsmouth will be looking for their first Fratton Park points of the season as they host Preston North End on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Paul Heckingbottom's side suffered their first loss of the season to Wrexham in the EFL Cup on Tuesday but remain unbeaten in the Championship with two wins and a draw, toppling Premier League returnees Leicester and Ipswich in their past two matches at Deepdale.

• Portsmouth have won just two of their past 13 league games against Preston North End (D5 L6), though one did come in this exact fixture last season via a 3-1 scoreline.

• After losing on their last visit to Fratton Park 3-1, Preston North End will be looking to avoid losing successive away league games against Portsmouth for the first time since September 1967.

• Portsmouth players have combined to win 194 duels in the Championship so far this season – the most of any side in the competition.

• Preston have failed to win any of their past eight away league games (D3 L5) and since the start of April last year, have won just three of their 29 fixtures on the road (D10 L16) – no ever-present Championship side has won fewer.

• In the Championship this season, no player has made more tackles than Preston's Ali McCann (13), whilst he's one of only six players in the competition to record 10+ tackles and 10+ ball recoveries (13).

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom hopes to sign some reinforcements before Monday's transfer deadline as he reflected on his first year in charge of the club.

Preston remain unbeaten in the Championship with two wins and a draw so far this season as they travel to face Portsmouth on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Heckingbottom, who took over last August with the club lying 23rd and guided them to a 20th-place finish last term, said they need help to compete with the "big clubs".

"We need help if we want to keep competing," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I think we need to do more and need more help, but we're doing it in our way. If it was all about finance then we wouldn't have won our last two games.

"It's about winning games with the tools you've got. It's all about winning and that's got to be our mentality."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Jack Bridge
Fan writer & commentator

You can feel it, can't you? Something's stirring at Deepdale.

Saturday's 1–0 win over Ipswich wasn't just three points - it was a statement.

Milutin Osmajic, ice-cool from the spot in the 11th minute, made it three goals in three league games. That's the kind of start we as fans dream about – a striker in form.

But this wasn't a smash-and-grab. Ipswich had the ball, sure, but North End had backbone, courage and a defiant character right the way through the team.

A clear indication of the siege mentality that Paul Heckingbottom has spoken so much about over the summer.

Gibson, Hughes and man of the match Jordan Storey were all immense; the whole team put their bodies on the line to secure the win.

It was gritty, disciplined, and exactly what this league demands. As Heckingbottom said post-match, it's the sort of performance that makes you proud to be a Preston fan.

The less said about the second half of the Wrexham game midweek in the EFL Cup, the better; however, the first half was excellent.

The highlight was the debut of new loan signing Lewis Dobbin from Aston Villa.

He's the kind of player who gets you out of your seat. Quick feet, fearless attitude and an eye for goal - his connection with Daniel Jebbison and Alfie Devine was wonderful and hopefully a sign of things to come once Dobbin is up to speed.

Heckingbottom said we needed creativity and attacking flair. Dobbin looks ready to deliver.

Now it's time to turn the page and concentrate on what really matters - the league.

Next up, a trip to Portsmouth. A proper test, a hostile ground, and the kind of fixture that reveals what this Preston side is truly made of.

We'll be looking to put things right after last season's disappointment at Fratton Park, where we fell 3–1 with former Lilywhite Jacob Murphy and ex-Accrington striker Colby Bishop on the scoresheet.

This time, the aim is clear - a stronger performance, a statement on the road, and three points to keep the momentum building.

You can follow every kick with us on BBC Radio Lancashire's Match Day Live — build-up from 14:00 BST, then full commentary with Ross Heaton and me from 15:00.

So, are the good times coming back to Deepdale? It's early days, but there's a calm buzz again.

A striker in form, a defence that digs in, and a manager who knows what he wants.

For the first time in a while, it feels like we're building something and that we have momentum. And as fans, that's all we ask for - hope, fight, and a team that makes us proud.

See you on Saturday. Up the Lilywhites.

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom says the early exit from the EFL Cup means they can focus on their priority - the Championship.

The Lilywhites suffered a stoppage-time defeat at home to Wrexham in round two at Deepdale on Tuesday night, having led 2-1 after an hour, leaving Heckingbottom frustrated and wishing they had just handed the Red Dragons a walkover win.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I'm frustrated because we wanted to win the game, we've conceded three goals but Jack [Walton] has not had a save to make, we've got a couple of injuries and it's a night I could have probably done without.

"I go home thinking we may as well have just given them a bye."

"I enjoy cup games, not all managers say that," he added. "I like to see what we can do, where it might take you, it's a different prize, but we do treat it differently - the league is the important thing, but you do feel like you miss out when you get knocked out of the cup.

"We have to make sure we use it to our advantage in the league and prepare properly for league games."

Lewis Dobbin came off at half-time on his debut while second-half substitute Milutin Osmajic left the field after just five minutes having suffered a rib injury.

"Dobbin has not had a pre-season we're going to have to work hard with him, diligently over the next few weeks," Heckingbottom said. "Mily should be alright."

Heckingbottom revealed Brad Potts and Will Keane are getting closer to a return but were not yet back in training, though Mads Frokjaer is scheduled to resume training on Thursday.

"We've got to make sure it's a blessing now when we recover well and we capitalise on not having that accumulation of games which we got last season," Heckingbottom added.

"We'll learn, recover now in the next couple of days because from what I've seen of Portsmouth it's going to be a really tough, frantic game down there."

Gavin Ramjaun
Final Score reporter at Deepdale

Image source, Getty Images

Many were touting Preston to go down come the end of the season, a long, long way off, yes, but as their finish to the last campaign saw them just stay up, you'd be justified to call it.

It's a solid side this, built on a big back three, a good keeper who can set up attacks, and old-fashioned bull-dozery up front. Never write Milutin Osmajic off for delivering when it matters, as he did from the penalty spot to give them the winner against Ipswich.

A talented player - and served well from the impressive Thierry Small down the Preston left. A modest team perhaps punching above their weight, could they be a shout for the play-offs?

It's a brilliant start for Paul Heckingbottom's side, two wins and a draw, with victories over two of the relegated sides from the top flight.

A word on Ipswich too, who need a wake-up call, still searching for their first win after relegation from the Premier League.

They play neat, intricate football but lack a finish. George Hirst, Sammie Szmodics, and Conor Chaplin are missing great chances; they've got the money from selling Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson. Kieran McKenna has to buy smart to stay in the hunt in this wily division.

Image source, Getty Images

Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom says his side showed their development in the 1-0 win over Ipswich Town at Deepdale.

Milutin Osmajic's penalty secured the win for the hosts as they climb into the play-off places after an unbeaten start.

Heckingbottom says Preston won in a way they didn't last season and praised his players' character.

"We spoke last season about winning when second best," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We never won that way. Ipswich are a very good side and we had to stay strong."

Heckingbottom added that his team showed why fans should "stop moaning" about a lack of spending and says there are more important things.

"Forget the negativity. Why are we talking about what other clubs are spending? If that was important we'd have lost the game today. They are bringing £14m off the bench, they've got unbelievable talent that didn't get on the pitch.

"If that was the be all and end all we'd have lost. Quit moaning and focus on what we can do. We've signed good characters, we don't win today if we don't sign good people. Everyone connected with Preston should be proud of every player."

Preston North End will hope to grab three points off promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town on Saturday (15:00 BST) following an impressive 2-1 win over Leicester City.

The Tractor Boys are yet to fire up their Championship campaign, having drawn 1-1 with both Birmingham City and Southampton.

• Preston North End have won two of their last three league games against Ipswich Town (L1), after failing to win any of their prior eight matches against the Tractor Boys between April 2011 and November 2018 (D3 L5).

• Ipswich Town have won just two of their last 16 away league games against Preston North End (D6 L8), losing 3-2 on their last visit to Deepdale in February 2024.

• Preston North End have only lost four of their home league games since the start of last season; only Bristol City (3) have lost fewer home league games than the Lilywhites.

• After drawing each of their opening two Championship matches, Ipswich have now won just one of their last 21 league games (D6 L14) and have failed to keep a single clean sheet during that time.

Image source, Getty Images

Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom has hailed goalkeeper Daniel Iversen as the Championship's "best free transfer".

North End re-signed Iversen, 28, on a free from Leicester City this summer.

The Dane made 71 Preston appearances during two loan spells between January 2021 and May 2022.

"Most people here knew what to expect, but it was new for Dan working with me and for me working with Dan," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He's really comfortable here, he knows the place, he knows the people. He was really excited to come back and he was chomping at the bit from day one.

"I like to think we got the best free transfer out there. He gives off that aura and hopefully it brings the best out of him."