'Would be special' - Why there is added motivation for Preston North End duo to beat Hull City

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is ready to embrace his first Gentry Day as manager.

The Lilywhites have three games left to play in their 2024/25 campaign, with the first of those the Easter Monday trip to Hull City. PNE are desperate to get back on track anyway, having lost to QPR - in the 94th minute - three days prior, and been on a poor run of form.

Relegation threatened Hull would move one point behind Preston with victory, but there is added motivation for the North End camp in East Yorkshire. The trip to the MKM Stadium is this season’s Gentry Day: an annual occasion for the Deepdale faithful.

PNE supporters don bowler hats and suits on the day, as they remember those with a connection to the club, who’ve passed away in the last 12 months. Preston’s boss will experience it for the first time on Monday and wants his team to deliver a performance worthy of the occasion.

“Yeah, looking forward to it,” said Heckingbottom. “Genuinely, the extra support, what it represents, the special atmosphere it generates, it'll be good. We have to play our part in that then and perform better than we did second half (against QPR).

“We’ve had good support home and away, it's been great, and I've said before one of my favourite things about doing this job is away wins. I would love to get one on Monday for lots of different reasons but obviously, with it being Gentry Day as well it would be special.”

PNE man ready to take on the Tigers

Liam Lindsay, goal scorer last time out, has been at North End since 2021 and knows all about the day. Last Friday the Scot assured he was fully focused on performing the best he can, right until the final day of the season. He has called on the team to step things up for the away day.

“Yeah, of course,” said Lindsay. “I think historically, we've done well on Gentry Day. It’s another motive to give a good performance in Monday’s game. I think the games that we find difficult are the ones that are down there, fighting for their lives. To be high in this league you need to beat the teams below you.”

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