New Southampton vs Preston North End date confirmed after fire postponement

Preston North End have learned the new date for their away clash at Southampton.

The Lilywhites - who saw last week's match postponed after a nearby fire - will now head to St Mary's on Tuesday, 16 April - for a 19:45 kick-off. Ryan Lowe's side travelled down to the south coast for last Wednesday's game, but health and safety concerns saw the game called off.

That happened four hours before kick-off, with the 600 or so Preston fans having to head straight back to Lancashire - or stay in Southampton for the night. Some fans even went to watch non-league side, AFC Totton - who offered free tickets for PNE supporters who had hotels booked.

The Saints will now be the opponents for North End's 43rd game of the season, with the away game sandwiched in between Norwich City at home and the trip to Queens Park Rangers. As for Southampton, they host Watford on the Saturday and go to Cardiff the weekend after.

Russell Martin explained, last week, that the hosts were keen to play Preston this midweek. But, that was never an option for PNE given the quick turnaround - they also have the long trip to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, whereas Southampton have no game.