'I guess' - Preston North End star's view on expiring contract amid Paul Heckingbottom excitement

Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman is excited for the Lilywhites’ future under new manager Paul Heckingbottom.

The 47-year-old has been in the job for two weeks now, with wins over Luton and Harrogate - before Saturday’s frustrating 3-1 defeat at Oxford United. It’s Woodman’s third season as a PNE player and, after finishing the previous campaign in disappointing fashion, the shot-stopper was raring to go this summer.

Ryan Lowe’s departure, after one game, made it a turbulent start to the season. But, Woodman has since found the new management duo - of Heckingbottom and assistant Stuart McCall - refreshing. And as for the win over the Hatters, in the boss’ first game, the feeling post-match was extremely positive for him.

“Yeah, it has been exciting,” said Woodman, last Thursday. “For me, I am always looking to improve and learn. When you get two new people come through the door, with different ideas, I ultimately saw it as an opportunity to improve myself as a player and person. So yeah, I am excited about it and I’m sure a lot of the lads are - as well as the fans.

“I have always known the quality here. I think, like I’ve said many times, the lads are great, honest boys. It’s a great Championship club and I am just hoping we can go to that next level really - and find areas where we can improve. I’m sure the manager sees his ideas helping us to get up the league. For me, I came off the pitch after Luton and felt like it was just the start.

“I truly believe that we are only going to get better... that was after working with the manager for a few days. He only got his ideas across in a few training sessions, but I came off the pitch quite excited - if that is the standard, I feel we can only get better. They’ve come in and it’s been a good change. The experience they’ve got is valuable and the manager has a promotion on his CV.

“That is something every club wants to do. That really gets your juices flowing and you hope that you can build and end up at the top end of that table. (McCall) is a good character, but from what I have seen he’s a fantastic coach. He gets his points across and he had a fantastic career. It’s been really good working with him; he bounces off the manager really well.”

Woodman is one of several senior players who finds himself in the final year of his contract, having penned a three-year deal back in the summer of 2022. That is something he is naturally thinking about, but the 27-year-old assures it won’t become a distraction.

“I guess, as a player, if you go into your last year it is always on your mind,” said Woodman. “I think Saturday marks my 100th game for PNE, which is a big achievement and a goal I set when I first signed for the club. I feel like it’s a big achievement to play that many games, for such a big club.

“I wrote it on a bit of paper and stuck it on the wall, so getting there will be a really nice feeling. So, yeah, in answer to your question I think any player thinks about it. But, ultimately, I just want to focus on playing well and trying to get to 125/130 for this season. That would be nice.”