Preston North End injury and illness news for Charlton Athletic as new signing in line for debut
PNE will now face Charlton on Tuesday evening at Deepdale
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom hopes Jordan Storey will shake off illness in time for the FA Cup clash against Charlton Athletic.
The Lilywhites’ third round tie has been pushed back to Tuesday night after the Saturday fixture was postponed due to a frozen Deepdale pitch. That should boost the number 14’s chances of featuring against the Addicks.
Storey played through the last few matches with a bug while fellow defender Jack Whatmough has been unwell too. While both of those could well be in contention for Charlton, injured duo Brad Potts and Robbie Brady are unlikely to return.
“Yeah, they'll not be fit,” said Heckingbottom on Thursday. “They are progressing well, but they'll not be fit for this game. Jordan, ill - he was one who played ill at QPR and then played again.
“Jack's fine. Jack's over it, but Jordan's been knocked back a little bit. But he'll be fine, he'll be trained (Friday). Well, we're expecting (him to). So apart from that, everyone's fit and well.
Potts has missed the last three games with a knee injury sustained towards the end of Preston’s 1-0 win over Hull City, on Boxing Day. Brady, meanwhile, has been absent for the last four due to a cracked rib. The Irishman recently missed seven games with an ankle issue too, but Heckingbottom is optimistic the two can return to the fold very soon.
“I hope to have them back next week,” said Heckingbottom. “There can be setbacks, but they're progressing well, like I say. They're not serious injuries. We just get them back when they're ready.”
Finally, January recruit Lewis Gibson is well on track to make his debut for PNE in midweek. The 24-year-old had a dead leg for his last match at Plymouth Argyle and North End needed to assess the centre-back, but he has been on the grass getting ready for game day.
“Yes, he’s got a full week,” said Heckingbottom. “He was in, did a bit of work on the Saturday morning, did a bit of work then on Monday where the physio staff just cleared him from that impact injury he had. So yeah, he’s trained all week.”