Preston North End

Preston North End have caught up with the rest of the Championship with their new playing surface, acccording to head coach Paul Heckingbottom.

The Lilywhites had to play their Carabao Cup first round tie against Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park while their new pitch was being installed at Deepdale, but will return home to host Wolves in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 BST).

"Everything has progressed in football and we were the only team in the league not to have some sort of artificial stitch-pitch and its job is just to hold firmer when the weather turns and, instead of it ripping up and becoming bobbly it just stays flatter," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It's not about having grass on the pitch, it's about it being flat and level and holding firm and we've not had that."

Preston opened the Championship season with a 2-1 loss at newly-promoted Bolton Wanderers last Saturday and Heckingbottom says they have used the time since then to familiarise themselves with the new pitch.

"We trained on it on Tuesday. It'll gradually firm up over the next two or three months," he said

"It's not quite where it should be but for a six or seven week old pitch we're really pleased with it."

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This is a meeting between two founder members of the English Football League with Preston winning 4-0 on the second weekend of the 1888-89 season.

Since then, Preston have won 49 of their encounters while Wolves have recorded 47 victories and there have been 27 draws in all competitions.

• Each of Preston's past four home league games against Wolves have finished as draws since a 3-1 loss in September 2008. It is the same amount of stalemates as across their prior 18 home meetings with Wolves combined.

• Wolves have lost just one of their past eight league games against Preston North End (W3 D4), with this the first meeting between the pair since a 1-1 draw in February 2018.

• Preston have lost just two of their past 11 league games against sides relegated from the Premier League the season prior (W4 D5), though did lose their most recent on home soil against Southampton in May (1-3).

• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Wolves have failed to win any of their past 11 matches played on the opening two days of a campaign, losing each of their five away games in that run while netting just one goal in total.

• On the opening day of the 2026-27 Championship season, no player completed more successful passes than Wolves defender Toti Gomes (88), while his 95.7% pass accuracy rate was the strongest of any player to produce 40+ completed passes in the competition.

Preston and Stoke are set to be disappointed in their pursuit of Hull City defender Cody Drameh who reportedly wants to remain with the Premier League club. The two Championship clubs are reported to have offered £1m for the right-back. (Sky Sports), external

Find more of Tuesday's EFL gossip here.

Jack Bridge
Preston North End fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

There is a danger after any opening-day defeat of reading too much into 90 minutes.

For Preston North End though, Saturday's 2-1 loss at Bolton Wanderers feels less like the beginning of a new problem and more like the continuation of an old one.

North End ended last season with a whimper. After 34 Championship games they had 49 points and were sitting eighth, having spent much of the campaign in and around the play-off places.

They took just 11 points from their final 12 matches to eventually finish 14th.

The concern for Preston supporters was not simply the team had fallen away from the play-off picture, it was the manner of the decline.

There were heavy reverses at Coventry and Norwich, three-goal defeats by Oxford and Southampton, and losses to West Brom and Birmingham City.

The defence, in particular, became increasingly difficult to trust.

That made the summer an important one for Paul Heckingbottom and the club's recruitment team.

Preston have not been inactive. Lee Nicholls, Leo Leroy and Harry Clarke have arrived, while Alfie Devine has returned permanently after his loan spell and Jusef Erabi and Delano Burgzorg have joined on loan.

But recruitment is not simply about counting arrivals - it is about whether the squad is better and that is where questions remain.

Lewis Dobbin, Daniel Jebbison and Milos Lukovic returned to their parent clubs then Robbie Brady, Will Keane and Jamal Lewis also departed the club.

Most significantly, captain Ben Whiteman has now left for Wrexham.

Whiteman had made 224 appearances for Preston since joining in 2021 and had become one of the most recognisable figures of the modern North End side. In the end, this departure on the face of it, looks like a good solution for all parties - we wish him all the best in the other 44 games for Wrexham this season.

However, there is a much bigger question around the defence.

Andrew Hughes and Jordan Storey have both been at Deepdale since 2018. Liam Lindsay has been there since 2021.

That is a remarkable amount of continuity for a Championship defence. Especially when North End conceded 62 league goals last season and at Bolton the warning signs appeared again.

Sam Dalby put the hosts ahead after 14 minutes before Thierry Gale doubled the advantage. Preston eventually responded through Erabi in the closing stages, but by then they had given themselves too much to do.

There will understandably be calls for patience. It is the first weekend of August. New players need time to settle. Heckingbottom deserves the opportunity to work with the squad he has been given. But patience should not mean ignoring a pattern.

Preston's final quarter of last season was poor. Their summer recruitment has left questions about whether the squad has genuinely moved forward and their opening-day performance suggested some of the weaknesses from last season remain.

That is why Saturday's defeat feels significant, not because one game should define a season but because it has reopened questions Preston supporters have been asking for months.

The challenge now is not simply to recover from one defeat to Bolton. It is to prove that this is a different Preston North End to the one that limped over the line in May, there's still time to make the improvements needed for a successful Championship season.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your reactions to Bolton's 2-1 win over Lancashire rivals Preston on Saturday.

Here are some of your comments:

Bolton fans

Paul B: Superb collective performance and it could have been more. All of the new squad members fitted in well and will undoubtedly add more as they adjust. Great start to the new season.

Raymond G: Excellent start in this league against a so called decent side. Need another striker though. Well played Gale and Erhahon. Hopefully we will get fitter and make it less nervous in the last 15 minutes.

Richard: Was very worried after the game against Sheffield Wednesday but thought the team played well as a unit. Gale had the game of his life in the first half and glad both he and Dalby got on the scoresheet. Thought McAtee was as the unsung hero for Bolton though.

Stuart: Comfortable win against a poor Preston. Not sure why Bolton needed to make four subs in the last 15 mins which unbalanced the defence and midfield and nearly cost two points.

Mike: Dominated the game for 86 mins, then subs upset the balance and cohesion of the team leading to a goal back for the visitors, who grew in confidence and probably should have equalised in the dying minutes. But on the balance of the game Bolton earned their victory.

Image source, Getty Images

Preston fans

James: It feels like Preston have started the season a bit undercooked and lacking some firepower. Devine is a quality signing but still think we are missing some pace to support his precision.

Mike: Very poor performance from PNE. We've spent a lot of money by our standards, but after watching the game it's the defence which is in need of strengthening.

Ryan: Every aspect poor. Goalscorer only bright spark alongside Leroy. Subs too late after giving the starters time to do better, as they couldn't be worse. They were. Subs were ok. Good luck Trotters but you'll face tougher opposition!

Pete: A very lethargic first game for PNE. Bolton looked brighter all round the pitch and all the match apart from last 10 minutes.

Bill: Not up for it during the first 30 minutes. Can't miss 3 easy chances! Hecky sort it out or they will be the end of you!

Noel: Pathetic. Heckingbottom is so negative. Time for a change.

Preston North End are close to signing Liverpool's English academy midfielder James McConnell, 21, on loan for the season. (Liverpool Echo), external

For more EFL transfer news, read Monday's full gossip column here.

Andy Bayes
BBC Radio Lancashire's Sport Editor

Image source, Getty Images

Not the start that Paul Heckingbottom would have wanted or the terrific following down the M61 from the Preston faithful.

The damage was done long before the final whistle. Two goals conceded, three yellow cards collected, countless offside decisions and barely a meaningful save required from Bolton goalkeeper Jack Bonham painted a picture of a side completely out of sync.

A switch to a back four was perhaps forecast during the week, when Heckingbottom suggested that he wants this season's squad to have more flexibility. It's fair to say that a groundswell of fan opinion has been calling for it quite regularly in recent years.

But, on the evidence of the first half, the defensive unit looked uncertain, disconnected and vulnerable whenever Bolton turned possession over and drove forward.

Heckingbottom found the first-half display a difficult one to explain. He told me: "We gave ourselves a real mountain to climb. I felt it was just something as simple as their enthusiasm, their energy about being in this league and the crowd. It seemed to catch us cold."

You can pick the bones out of both first-half goals. From a shot outside the box, the ever-reliable Daniel Iversen palmed the ball straight into the path of Sam Dalby, who finished, with Liam Lindsay caught napping.

The second goal came within two passes of a North End attack. McAtee found Gale, who isolated Pol Valentin, cut inside and smashed it home.

I fully expected changes at the break, but they came a little later.

All five substitutes made positive impacts. Jusef Erabi is already making himself a fans' favourite. As well as contributing on the pitch, he was orchestrating the noise levels from the supporters behind the goal. It's just a shame that it took so long to get what was, in the end, merely a consolation.

One substitute crossed for another as Vukcevic found Erabi, who beat his team-mate Small and the Bolton defence before heading in off the bar.

Lindsay should have levelled it in the dying seconds with a header and, before the goal, the most gilt-edged of chances had been missed.

Osmajic, who struggled to stay onside throughout, finally got a decision from the assistant referee and, one-on-one with Bonham, elected to try to square the ball to Erabi. The execution wasn't there with the pass and he may actually have played Erabi offside in the process.

Perhaps the most significant positive came in midfield.

Leo Leroy's debut was highly encouraging. When a technician of Paul Gallagher's calibre speaks highly of a player, people tend to listen.

From the moment he stepped onto the pitch, Leroy looked comfortable in possession, eager to receive the ball and capable of moving it intelligently. It was a cameo rather than a definitive statement, but it suggested Preston North End may have acquired a player capable of raising the technical standard of the team.

It's not like Preston to spend figures such as the £12m they have this summer, and there is more to come. Potentially, a takeover could follow further down the line too. It promises to be an eventful season at Deepdale.

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Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire following his side's 2-1 defeat by Bolton:

"I said at half-time to the players I thought we could win the game. We were poor first-half in terms of the goals that we gave away," he said.

"Whether it was the first game or not but they were certainly not the goals that we want to give away.

"We gave ourselves a real mountain to climb and it was as simple as their enthusiasm, their energy about being in this league and the crowd - it seemed to catch us cold.

"One or two [players] won't play like that again. We need to be better but there were also some good moments and I'm pleased with some of the new boys."

Image source, Getty Images

Preston North End have signed Leo Leroy from Basel and Ipswich Town's Harry Clarke for undisclosed fees to take their summer signings to six.

Both defender Clarke and French midfielder Leroy have agreed three-year deals with Preston, who begin their Championship campaign at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

Clarke, 25, came through the youth set-up at Arsenal before joining Ipswich in January 2023 and was part of their side which won back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League in 2023 and 2024.

He told the club website: "I can't wait to get started and show the North End fans what I can do."

Leroy, 26, played in Ligue 1 for Montpellier before spending the last two years in the Swiss Super League with Basel.

Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom said Leroy will bring quality, calmness and experience to what he hopes will be a promotion push at Deepdale.

"He's a good technical player, with great experience and someone who's comfortable getting on the ball in deeper positions, but also someone who likes to join the attacks as well," he added.

Image source, Getty Images

Preston North End left-back Thierry Small could be in contention to play in their opening Championship game against Bolton on Saturday (12:30 BST).

The 21-year-old picked up an ankle knock during a pre-season game against Bamber Bridge in July and boss Paul Heckingbottom is keeping an eye on "how he reacts" as he returns to training before making a decision.

"[Small] has made good progress this last week," Heckingbottom said.

"He trained fully today. In fact, he's out there now doing a bit extra because obviously he missed a fair chunk of pre-season.

"For someone who is a naturally fit boy, works hard, it will not take him long to get back up to speed."

Heckingbottom also confirmed that midfielder Ali McCann has taken the role of club captain following the departure of Ben Whiteman to Wrexham.

Defender Lewis Gibson has been appointed vice-captain.

"Ali epitomises most of, if not all, the good things that have been going on at Preston," Heckingbottom added.

"I think they are good role models and set good examples."

Watch the full interview below or listen on BBC Sounds here.

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Image source, Opta

Bolton return to the Championship for the first time since 2019 with a home game against Preston on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Steven Schumacher's men won promotion via the League One play-offs in May but began their campaign with an EFL Cup first round defeat at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

Paul Heckingbottom's Lilywhites overcame Huddersfield on penalties last time out but are winless in their past seven opening day fixtures, earning just three points, with their last win coming in 2018.

• Bolton Wanderers are winless in their past six league games against Preston North End (D3 L3), with this their first meeting since a 2-1 home loss in February 2019.

• Preston North End have won each of their past three away league games against Bolton Wanderers, as many as they had in their previous 19 visits to the Trotters (D4 L12).

• Bolton ranked third for expected goals (74.2) and second for expected goals against (48) in League One last season; they also scored the most goals in the final 10 minutes of matches in the third tier last term (21).

• Only Sheffield Wednesday (18) have lost more EFL Championship games in 2026 than Preston (11); the Lilywhites finished last season losing seven of their final 12 games (W3 D2).

• Only Lewis Dobbin (18) was involved in more of Preston's 55 EFL Championship goals last season than Alfie Devine (14 – 8 goals, 6 assists); four of his eight goals came following a carry, only Jack Clarke, Jaden Philogene, Joe Gelhardt and Leo Scienza had more (6).

Preston, Millwall and Stoke are interested in a move for Hull City right-back Cody Drameh, 24, who has a year left on his contract at the MKM Stadium. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.

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Preston North End are targeting 23-year-old Sheffield United striker Tom Cannon and hope to bring the Republic of Ireland international back to Deepdale after a loan spell with the Lilywhites in 2023. (Football League World), external

For more EFL transfer news and rumours, read Monday's full gossip column here.

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Ross Heaton
BBC Radio Lancashire

Image source, Getty Images

It was an afternoon when much of the focus was on the location, but it ended in celebration.

Preston North End booked their place in round two of the Carabao Cup after showing character and composure in a memorable match on Merseyside for two new signings.

A red card for Lewis Gibson midway through the first half had Paul Heckingbottom's men on the ropes but they cleared their heads and found a way to hit back.

Goodison Park became home for a day just under 60 years after Howard Kendall famously made the 35-mile journey from Preston to sign for the Toffees.

'The Grand Old Lady' has played temporary host to visitors before, including Pele's Brazil in 1966, Sir Matt Busby's Manchester United and the FA Cup final in 1894 and 1910.

With the finishing touches being made to Deepdale's pitch, the Championship side walked out in a slightly surreal atmosphere that finally grew as the 'home' side attacked the Gwladys Street End bearing Kendall's name.

When Radinio Balker headed in for Huddersfield Town during the first half, Gibson's dismissal looked a fatal blow to any hopes of progression.

Heckingbottom and his team deserve credit for a revitalised display after the restart, refusing to lose.

Former Preston goalkeeper Alan Kelly looked completely mystified alongside me in the commentary box as several big appeals for penalties were waved away.

The tide of the game kept flowing to our left and the Preston fans, despite their team's numerical disadvantage.

Heckingbottom has been honest about how much more transfer business is needed, but new recruits Jusef Erabi and Delano Burgzorg wasted no time in making an impression from the bench.

After earlier stinging the palms of Matty Young with a ferocious drive, Erabi was on hand to turn in Burgzorg's low ball in stoppage time. A special debut with members of the Swede's family travelling from Scandinavia to watch first-hand.

Burgzorg's contribution did not end there. The Dutchman coolly slotted in the decisive penalty in the shoot-out after Daniel Iversen had made two terrific saves.

The match started with a testimonial-esque level of noise but by the end Preston fans found their voice, playing their part in seeing the team through an unusual fixture.

Preston will have to wait a fortnight for their return to Deepdale. How different the squad will look by then remains to be seen.

What will have pleased Heckingbottom is the steel and resilience shown by his players in the face of adversity. There will be many tests to come, but this one they passed.

Their opening Championship game at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday (12:30 BST) will not be any easier.

A sold-out away end of 4,400 may make the visitors feel at home on the road for the second week in succession.

Listen to Jusef Erabi's full interview with BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC sounds here - and do not forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

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