PNE drew 0-0 with Getafe on Friday evening out in Spain... Ross Chapman writes from the Oliva Nova Sports Center

Preston North End’s faithful descended on Benidorm once again this week as Paul Heckingbottom’s pre-season preparations continued.

Despite their meeting with Getafe CF ending 0-0, the occasion itself was still much enjoyed by North End fans. The fourth consecutive summer that PNE have spent a week in Spain as part of their July schedule, but for supporters - the majority of whom will have made the trip before - the novelty and excitement remains.

The Oliva Nova Sports Center is around an hour outside of the centre of Benidorm, where the vast majority of PNE fans have been staying, and more than three coaches made the trip down to the Valencia region.

Upon arriving with less than an hour until kick off, the sprinklers were on, the sun was beating down and the players were raring to go: the perfect pre-season atmosphere.

Both sets of fans were arriving in their hundreds, making their way to the ground through the rest of the complex, surrounded by beautiful palm trees; it describes itself as ‘the resort of the experiences’ - it was certainly that.

It serves more as a centre for recreational sports but the football pitches are immaculate - and some North End fans could testify, having enjoyed a kickabout on the adjacent pitch at half time and at the start of the second 45!

The newly-self-donned ‘Spud Army’ were in particularly fine voice, the Getafe fans also up for it too as they mingled with North Enders. Yes, this may have been a pre-season friendly, but the travelling Lilywhites were loud and proud from the moment they assumed their places in the stand.

Andrija Vukčević is, at this point, just a trialist for North End - having joined up with Heckingbottom’s squad for their week-long excursion. But, during an impressive display, he and the other fresh faces in the squad were serenaded by the Gentry.

Whatever North End decide to do next, the Montenegrin will have felt welcomed almost immediately. The returns of Brad Potts, Mads Frokjaer and Robbie Brady were also cheered - it was hugely pleasing to see them back on the pitch.

At a time where the game had began to become cagey, a foul on Brad Potts leading to a free kick generated the biggest reaction of the second half. It was a game in which chances were few and far between, the sweltering heat of up to 38 degrees Celsius surely a factor.

Mads Frokjaer came closest for PNE with a shot that trickled wide of the post from just inside the 18-yard box.

Several PNE flags were proudly on display behind one of the goals, the same flags that people will have seen dotted around Benidorm in the past few days amid the takeover of their bars.

I landed in Alicante on Thursday morning in Benidorm for the very first time. I’ve never seen North End abroad before in my life so this was going to be a memorable few days anyway, but it’s been a belting trip.

The Royal Arrow has been somewhat of a base for North End fans in their recent trips and once more, from the middle of the week and still up to now, it has been rammed with supporters.

It is one of the area's most vibrant bars, with a mix of live sport and music. The Rose and Crown has also been a popular spot, and most nights this week you will have heard dozens of North End, and general football, anthems blasting from the bar.

It’s clear that plenty of other bars and tourist hotspots look forward to weeks like this almost as much as the fans do - a number of EFL teams’ supporters make this trip every year. The Gentry have once again taken over Benidorm and it’s been a pleasure to have soaked up the experience myself. Here's to many more memories on’t mooch.

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