Preston North End: a Deepdale deep-dive
Under The Spotlight: Matt Watts shines a light on Preston's summer recruitment and positive start to the season – because, if we don't, no one else will...
Welcome to Under The Spotlight, a written spin-off to our Under The Lights podcast, helmed by Matt Watts. This column is for shining a big EFL floodlight on the stories that deserve more than a 30-second Twitter clip.
Some say it’s still too early to look at the league table. Besides, in today’s world of new media, you don’t need to look at a league table to know who has made a good start – a respectable dose of Championship coverage should give you a fair idea. At the top, you’ve got free-scoring Coventry, AKA Frank Lampard’s Coventry. Then there’s the early pace-setters, Handsome Rob’s Middlesbrough. In 3rd: an Abdul Fatawu-inspired Leicester. No sign of that points deduction yet. In 4th, there’s Preston North End…
I’m sorry, did you say Preston North End?
Where’s the fanfare surrounding PNE? Granted, they’re part of the Championship furniture, but apart from a Little Britain meme (you know the one) being banded around social media, you’ve probably seen very little about Paul Heckingbottom’s Preston – so let’s do something about that.
Tipped to struggle after finishing 20th last season, North End have made an impressive start to this one, built on an excellent home record and a strong defence. They’ve picked up three wins and two draws from their five home games, including eye-catching victories over Leicester and Ipswich. In terms of their defensive record, only Boro and Stoke have conceded fewer goals to date.
Preston’s summer recruitment seems to be ageing rather well. They were entering their 11th consecutive season in the second tier, yet it’s long been the case that they can’t compete financially with many others at the level, including clubs without parachute payments. This summer, PNE set about recruiting a new first-choice goalkeeper, while also trying to give Paul Heckingbottom more options in wide areas and attack, and generally making the squad younger and more athletic. Weighted by minutes played, they were the fourth-oldest team in the Championship last season. In the early weeks of the new campaign, they’re mid-table for that metric.
George Hodgson of the Lancashire Post has been impressed by the new arrivals at Deepdale. “The transfer business, on a really small budget, has been excellent. They’ve brought in quality via the loan market [Alfie Devine, Harrison Armstrong, Lewis Dobbin and Daniel Jebbison], experienced frees who can still contribute at the level [Daniel Iversen, Jack Walton, Pol Valentin, Jordan Thompson, Andrija Vukcevic and Michael Smith] and then a couple of younger permanent signings with high ceilings [Odel Offiah and Thierry Small].”
The signing of former two-time loanee Daniel Iversen, on a free transfer from Leicester on a four-year contract, currently resembles a masterstroke. The Dane has excelled, keeping four clean sheets in the Championship – second only to Coventry’s Carl Rushworth – and posting the fourth-best goals prevented rate. His assist for Milutin Osmajic against QPR and his Save of the Season contender to deny Bristol City’s Anis Mehmeti are two standout individual moments from 2025/26 to date.
“He regularly earns the team points with his ridiculous saves, but the defence have also done well,” Hodgson remarks. With a settled back three of Jordan Storey, Lewis Gibson and Andrew Hughes sat in front of Iversen, North End have been a tough nut to crack.
At the other end, Preston look more dynamic in attack. Crucially, the goals are being shared around, with Osmajic now being supported by signings such as Dobbin, Devine, Small, Smith and Jebbison. Though 11 goals from an xG of 10.5 across 9 games suggests there’s still work to be done, they are less reliant on their strikers than last season, when Osmajic and Emil Riis (now at Bristol City) scored 44% of their goals.
As is sometimes the case when a squad is refreshed, players who were already at the club take their game to a new level. Captain Ben Whiteman has enjoyed an eye-catching start, off the back of his first full pre-season in three years. “A lot of people probably expected Stefan Thordarson to cement a place in the side this season,” says Hodgson, “but Whiteman has been terrific. He’s come in for a bit of flak over the last year or so, but him and Ali McCann are doing really well.” The data backs up the eye test: Whiteman and McCann are the only central midfielders in the Championship to have completed 20+ tackles, made 10+ interceptions and played 10+ key passes.
After the club had flirted with relegation at the back end of last season following a few years of treading water, it would’ve been disastrous for morale if PNE had then had a poor summer window and made a slow start to 2025/26. Instead, thanks to the impact of new arrivals as well as a strong home record, there’s a burgeoning feelgood factor at Deepdale. “The mood around the club is probably as harmonious as it has been for a long time,” Hodgson explains. “The fans are right behind Heckingbottom and [assistant manager Stuart] McCall and this feels like a really honest, likeable, relatable team.”
Of course, being 4th in mid-October is one thing, but can Preston be there or thereabouts come April and May? After all, it was only a couple of seasons ago that Ryan Lowe’s North End were top after seven games, with 19 points, and that fast start was followed by a run of seven games without a win. A disappointing finish to the season saw Lowe’s men finish 10th, and 10 points off the top six. Clearly much has changed, but there are clouds on the horizon – or perhaps a cloud hanging over Osmajic, who could face a lengthy ban for alleged racial abuse towards Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri. North End also face West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham and Southampton before the next international break.
Nevertheless, there is a quiet confidence that results will continue to come. “North End have been good value for their points haul to date,” states Hodgson. “They couldn’t have complained if they had lost to Bristol City, but they probably felt worthy of at least a point in their defeat at Pompey. Heckingbottom has experienced success at this level before and we’re starting to see why – even though he always had the vibe of someone who knew what he was doing.”
Along with Bristol City, Preston have – rightly or wrongly – become the poster boys for mid-table mediocrity in the Championship. Since returning to this level in 2015, their average finish is 12th and the highest is 7th, achieved back in the 2017/18 campaign. If the Class of 25/26 can better that, then the Deepdale faithful will have had a season to remember. God knows they deserve it.
Insightful read, would have loved Thierry Small at Oxford, impressive how PNE have got him playing so high up the pitch as a ‘wing back’
James Wallace is world class and will be working in the prem if he chooses to. Top level stuff this summer with PNE