Paul Heckingbottom on Preston North End not being 'idealistic', Norwich City and final home game of 2025

What impressed you most about Saturday’s 2-1 win at Oxford?

“I thought we had moments of quality,” Heckingbottom, told BBC Radio Lancashire, “we had a spell in the first five, 10 minutes which wasn’t great, both teams, scrappy game, then I felt we got control, passed the ball well, creating opportunities.

“After the goal, I was hoping we’d go on, but I felt in the last 10 minutes of the first half we gave away too many cheap free kicks, cheap throws without playing forward often enough and looking after the ball. We invited a lot of pressure into our box which we did deal with well, we had a really young team and that was my one worry.

“We had another spell after we scored a really good second goal, we let them back into the game and then we weren’t looking after the ball. The only time I felt it looked dangerous was when [Stanley] Mills got a couple of crosses in from the right hand side when we gave the ball away cheaply and it was when we were stretched.

“We brought on some good know-how and a lot of experienced players and then it looked and felt a lot more comfortable. We had the experience on to know how to deal with the ball when they were throwing into the box because at every opportunity, they were putting the ball in.

“I just wished we could have got that third goal especially when we were breaking and countering, just to make it a bit easier but that was basically the game and how it panned out.”

But you found a way to win?

“Yeah, we had the options which is good,” Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire. “One thing we’re stressing, we’re not trying to be idealistic in how we play, we’re trying to create opportunities,. take them and limit them on the other side and I felt we did that.

“All their pressure was longer balls into the box, the only time they opened us up was those two moments when I felt we got a bit loose just before we made the subs, which allowed them to get at us one v one and deliver into spaces in the box.

“When we’ve got the bodies and personnel, it’s really hard for that to happen.

“You still have ideals in how you go about what’s important for you but that is our ideal. Can we be really proficient in every aspect of the game? So how we build, we’ve probably sacrificed that a little bit this season to what we were last season, but it’s been more about creating opportunities so it’s still forward pass, forward runs.

“When we lose the ball, the first thought is can we win the ball back? If we can’t, we have to get control of the game when they have the ball, and then all set pieces, all restarts, we want to be good in all those avenues because you never know which aspect of that performance is going to be the most important in that game.

“They’re our ideals, if you like, and we really focus on them. Every little detail counts, every run matters and we fight for everything.”

Final game at Deepdale this calendar year. What’s stood out most?

“I think togetherness is important”, Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire. “We can feel it, we want more. I think the fans understand what we want from them and how they can help. It’s been vital in games especially when we’re a goal in front with 10 minutes left but, still the other way, we’re a goal behind, let’s react.

“Everyone can see how much we fight for the points regardless of the situation in the game and that’s been the pleasing thing I think, but we need that to be even better from everyone so we’ll continue to keep banging that message and beating that drum to make sure the fans see that kind of endeavour at the bare minimum from us on the pitch.”

Thoughts on Norwich?

“They obviously had a shocking start,” Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire, “they spent a lot of money and amassed a really good, talented squad.

“Results of late have picked up and there’s been a lot of changes, both in shape and personnel. I would say the new manager [Philippe Clement] will be what he’s seen in these five games.

“We’re preparing to play against a really talented squad that, in most people’s opinion, has been underachieving so far.

“Their personnel and setup is different but we’ve seen enough of them now to know what they’re trying to do.”

Pol Valentin has told us how quickly he’s adapted. How pleased are you that players are adapting so quickly even when chopping and changing because of injuries?

“We wanted to be really clear in the summer about what we wanted to recruit more of and focus more on the strengths of the players that we brought in,” Heckingbottom told the Lancashire Post. “We’re always asking them to do more and wanting them to do more but we want what we think they do well naturally to have been what we were missing in the squad and I think Pol’s a great example of that.

“If you can do that and the players get the opportunity, they’re going to play with more confidence and they’re going to thrive. The role we asked Pol to play suits him down to the ground, we’re still trying to drive and push him in other areas of the game.

“Tactically, he’s good so he gets how we want to be against the ball as well really quickly but with the ball, we just want to show what his strengths are.”

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