Preston North End

Preston North End will look to sustain their superb start to the Championship when they host Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Lilywhites have only lost one league game this season to put themselves in the top six after ending their last campaign on a winless run following their FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa.

It puts the hosts level on points with the visiting Robins, who are coming off a disappointing loss to Oxford United last time out.

• Preston have won just two of their last 13 league games against Bristol City (D7 L4), with both victories in that run coming at home (December 2020 and January 2024).

• Bristol City have won two of their last three away league games against Preston (L1), as many as in their previous 20 visits to Deepdale (D8 L10).

• Preston have won three of their last five league games (D1 L1), more victories than they'd managed in their previous 18 in the Championship (W2 D8 L8).

• Bristol City are unbeaten in their three away league games this season (W2 D1), last having a longer run from the start of a campaign back in 2019-20 (6).

• No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than Bristol City's Anis Mehmeti (6 – 4 goals, 2 assists). The Albanian has been involved in five goals in his last three league appearances for the Robins (3 goals, 2 assists).

Preston North End's Lewis Dobbin says the squad can aspire for Championship promotion this season, using their performance against Middlesbrough as the benchmark.

North End have lost just one game from their opening six and sit fifth in the table with 11 points, five points behind leaders Boro. Their highest finish since returning to the Championship in 2015-16 was seventh in 2017-18.

Rob Edward's Boro earned a late equaliser at Deepdale earlier this month in a game the hosts felt they should have won.

"When we played Middlesbrough we were unlucky not to win that game and obviously they're top of the league, so I don't see why we can't be up there come the end of the season," Dobbin told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We're in fifth because we've earned it, we're there on merit. The games we've won, we've had good performances and we've probably outplayed teams."

The forward, who is on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa, has made an impact in recent weeks, making three appearances in the last three fixtures and getting a goal and an assist.

Dobbin suffered a calf injury in March while on loan at Norwich City which ruled him out for the rest of the 2024-25 season, but was able to secure his loan move to Preston North End after interest from multiple clubs.

"You want to be out there showing everyone what you can do because I feel like I'm making up for a bit of lost time," he added.

"[The loan] is good for me because I don't want to be sat on the bench getting five or 10 minutes. I want to be playing, I want to be an important player, I want to get as many games under my belt as possible."

North End will face similarly high-flying Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 BST) at Deepdale, hoping to leapfrog the Robins who sit third in the league, also on 11 points.

"There's not one fixture that you look at and think we shouldn't be getting three points," he said. "I think that's the mentality. If we want to do well this year that's got to be the mentality throughout the whole club."

Listen to the full interview with Lewis Dobbin and more North End on Sounds.

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has been speaking to the media ahead of the Championship match against Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Here are the main talking points:

• Preston North End have Lewis Gibson fit to play against Bristol City on Saturday. The central defender had to come off in the second half of last Saturday's 1-0 win at Derby County with a neck injury.

• Striker Milutin Osmajic will be assessed before the team is named. He returned to training today after spending two days in London answering FA charges. Brad Potts is back in training but will not be involved this weekend.

• Amid Osmajic's charges, Heckingbottom has affirmed with his players that he and his staff are available to talk to about issues outside of the training ground, and cites his young coaching staff as a reason his players feel able to do so.

• The successful start to the season is more satisfying for Heckingbottom after questions about squad strength prior to the season starting.

• North End's ability to get points on the road and edge out opponents in close-fought games are seen as the main contributing factors to their positive start, with the club currently fifth in the table.

• Heckingbottom praised the atmosphere created by fans at Deepdale so far and encouraged more of the same, particularly when against higher quality opponents and when in losing positions.

Listen to the full press conference and more Preston North End on Sounds.

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

Should Preston North End be setting their sights on automatic promotion this season?

The Lilywhites sit fifth, inside the play-off places after six games in the Championship, and there is a buzz around Deepdale after they picked up their first away win against Derby on Saturday.

"If you're talking play-offs, why not go up automatic because I think that league is there for anyone who puts a sustained run and gets themselves up there - and why not them [Preston]?," co-commentator Jimmy Bell told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"They've been exceptional this season. The home form is solid. They've now won away from home. Clean sheets. Great goalkeeper. They've got exciting young players. Everything. All the boxes are getting ticked for them at the minute.

"Can they carry on? Yes, why not? The run of games they have coming up, I think they're going to win three out of the next four at least which would cement them in and around the play-offs. Once you get to 10-12 games, the league starts taking shape so, as I say, why not Preston? Why not? I really like them at the minute."

As for the driving force behind North End's superb start to the season, Bell believes it was the side's fall-off in form after a run to the FA Cup quarter-final last term that has reinvigorated boss Paul Heckingbottom.

Preston lost to Premier League side Aston Villa in the last eight in March and failed to win a single Championship match for the remainder of the season, finishing just one point above relegation.

"I think this goes back to the end of last season and it goes back to the manager," former Accrington Stanley assistant manager Bell added.

"His hunger and desire to do well this season is synonymous with the way they've started this season. He was hurt with what happened and I know the Preston North End fans were really, really hurt."

You can listen to Bell's full analysis and more Preston content on BBC Sounds.

Andy Bayes
BBC Radio Lancashire Sport Editor

Image source, Rex Features

It has been far too long since Preston North End fans last travelled home from a Championship away match on a Saturday with that winning feeling.

533 days, to be exact.

This is a team that was tipped to struggle this season. A club that only beat the drop on the final day of last term.

The display at Derby had the freshness of a squad that has undergone a significant rebuild.

The majority of the permanent signings have not cost a penny, with the most expensive acquisition (Odel Offiah) still waiting for his opportunity.

But the quality of the loan arrivals has sprinkled some real stardust on the starting XI.

Alfie Devine's goal was a genuine touch of class. He saw the opportunity to chance his arm from outside the area and left Derby's keeper grasping thin air.

North End have the option to take him permanently from Spurs - if they can find the money to do so, they have got themselves such a talent.

He is already a huge favourite with the supporters and looks like he's found a home close to home.

Lewis Dobbin is another summer arrival who has added a spark. Two goals already and to be ultra critical, if his decision-making was a little better in the first half, this match could have been out of sight.

The first half was really encouraging - North End were by a million miles the better side.

They were quicker to the ball, better on the ball and were always showing for the ball.

Derby were always going to give some sort of reaction in the second half, and they did, with summer signing Patrick Agyemang in the thick of things and bringing a smart save out of Daniel Iversen.

But credit to the North End defence. The two stalwarts of Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes, both in their eighth season with the club, were excellent with Lewis Gibson in between them.

Eyebrows were raised when Storey and Hughes were given new deals last season but they are certainly rising to the challenge of competition for their spots.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't perform well on the day. Ali McCann and Ben Whiteman were streets ahead of their direct opponents.

With Harrison Armstrong, another exciting Premier League loanee, still to break into the side, things are looking up, the bench is looking strong, and Preston North End are giving the feel of a team who might just be going places.

Match-winner Alfie Devine says Preston North End got everything to click as they recorded their first win of the season away from Deepdale.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder scored a spectacular second Lilywhites goal since joining on loan from Tottenham to ensure a 1-0 win at Derby County.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It's an amazing feeling. Obviously to score a goal like that and celebrate in front of the away fans who made it even more special.

"The first half sums us up both on the ball and off the ball. I think I can just remember them having one shot on target and then with the ball I thought we were superb.

"I think that's everything we've been working on. I thought it sort of all came together. We changed the shape a little bit and I think that worked perfectly."

North End had taken just one point from their opening two games on the road, in contrast to the seven they have taken from three fixtures at Deepdale.

"The results we've had at home have been amazing," Devine added. "But it's these wins where you come away from home to a place like this where everyone knows it's hard to come."

You can listen to more reaction on BBC Sounds.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire after his side beat Derby County 1-0.

"I've been happy with us throughout the season and the players should be proud of themselves," he said.

"We had to show everything again today - we passed the ball well, caused them problems and are probably disappointed that we couldn't capitalise a little bit more, but we did score a fantastic goal.

"Then, as always happens in this league, if there is one goal in it then everyone puts their body on the line to make sure we got over the line as well. All-round, it was a really good away performance."

On-loan Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong says "Preston stood out straight away" when deciding the next step in his career.

The 18-year-old, who played 15 Championship games on loan at Derby County last season, made the temporary switch to Deepdale on deadline day.

"I was fortunate enough to go away with them [Everton] in pre-season and had quite a few good minutes," Armstrong told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I thought I had done well in the games I was involved in, but towards the end of the window it made more sense for me to get more game time and go and express myself on a consistent basis, week in week out.

"It was a matter of timing and not trying to force anything, and hopefully we have taken the right approach.

"There were clubs sniffing about earlier in the window - but pretty much from when I spoke to Preston and the manager, they stood out to me straight away, with what they are trying to achieve here, and it aligns with what I'm trying to achieve."

Everton boss David Moyes also has extensive ties with Preston, having made more than 170 appearances for the club as a player before beginning his managerial career at Deepdale in 1998.

"He [David Moyes] told me how good a club it is," England Under-19 international Armstrong added. "He told me how good the people are, and that I would enjoy myself, which is all you can ask really.

"It is about having good people around you - I'm still young and I'm going to make mistakes, but it is having those people to correct you and send you in the right direction.

"Fortunately that is what I have got - I have got really good people around me and people that have come into my life and kept me grounded."

Listen to more from Armstrong plus other Preston content on BBC Sounds.

After losing their opening two Championship games, resurgent Derby will seek to make it four games unbeaten as Preston head to Pride Park on Saturday (15:00 BST).

After stopping the rot with draws against Bristol City and Ipswich, the Rams picked up their first win of the campaign with an eye-catching 1-0 success at West Brom last time out.

The Lilywhites have taken seven points from three tough fixtures at Deepdale, beating Leicester, Ipswich and then becoming the first team to take a point off Middlesbrough last time out, they have however only taken one point from their opening two away games.

• Derby County have lost just one of their past 15 home league games against Preston North End (W9 D5), winning five of their last six to nil.

• Preston North End have won just two of their last 20 league meetings with Derby County (D6 L12), with both of those coming in the 2020-21 Championship campaign (1-0 away, 3-0 home).

• The two sides who've had the fewest shots in the Championship this season are Derby County (35) and Preston North End (47) and although the Rams have the worst xG in the league (4.1), they also have the best conversion rate (22.9%).

• Preston have the second lowest passing accuracy (70%) of any Championship side so far this season, and have played the highest percentage of their passes long (23%).

• Paul Heckingbottom will take charge of his 50th Championship game as Preston North End manager – only one of the last eight managers have celebrated a half century of league games with PNE with victory (D1 L6), Alan Irvine winning 2-0 versus Bristol City in 2008.

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom said his players and the fans have been "fantastic" in what he called the toughest Championship season he has experienced.

Preston have had a positive start, having only lost once - 1-0 to Portsmouth - in their five league games so far as they prepare for Saturday's trip to Derby County.

They have also lost experienced player Robbie Brady to a calf injury, which will see him sidelined for a number of months.

"If we want to have a chance, we have got to do it our way," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We are playing another team at the weekend that have spent millions of pounds. So, if everyone is right with what they put on social media, then we should lose. We either accept that and roll over or do things our way, and for us to do that we need everyone on the same page.

"The fact that we have had good performances up to this point, people are understanding that it is not about the money, it is about what we do and the fans have been fantastic, the players have been fantastic and we need to make sure we stick together and continue it through the season."

Preston, targeting a first away league win of the season, face a Derby side who picked up their first three points and clean sheet last Saturday in a 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion.

"This league is funny this season, it is as tough as I've ever known it," Heckingbottom said. "I mean every game looks as if it is going to very competitive.

"Every game is going to be decided by the finest of margins, and as it stands I can't see that really changing.

"It will be a tough game [against Derby] regardless, they showed that last weekend. Also, when they played Ipswich and Bristol City, they are more than comfortable to hang in games and grab a result - that straightaway tells me this is going to be a tough game.

"They have recruited and really changed the squad by putting some firepower in at the top end of the pitch.

"We have to make sure we bring our best and cause as many problems as possible, whilst dealing with them and their threat."

Listen to the full pre-match interview with Heckingbottom and more Preston North End content on BBC Sounds

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.