Preston North End 'managing' four players as injury news for QPR confirmed by Paul Heckingbottom
PNE take on Queens Park Rangers this weekend
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is keeping a close eye on four players for Saturday’s trip to Queens Park Rangers.
But, the Lilywhites are set to take a full squad down to Loftus Road - as a trip down to London calls just before Christmas. Preston head into the game on the back of five draws and one victory, with three points picked up at Cardiff City last midweek.
Defender Andrew Hughes missed that game, along with the following contest against Leeds United at Deepdale. In his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Heckingbottom confirmed that some players have been managing minor issues, but all are set to travel this weekend.
"We have got one or two we've been managing," said Heckingbottom. "Steffy (Thordarson), Kaine (Kesler-Hayden), Hughesy... still managing little niggles and things. Liam (Lindsay), because of his exposure over the last couple of games. But, everyone is available."
On-loan Leeds United man, Sam Greenwood, is also back in the fold after having to sit out of last weekend’s game. With Heckingbottom having recently welcomed Robbie Brady back from an extended period out, the selection headaches are more than welcomed.
"Yeah, we have just mentioned the bench at Cardiff," said Heckingbottom. "I thought the subs again on Saturday, when we played Leeds - again, it's good to be able to do that and call upon that, whether it is experience and know-how you need, quality, composure, pace or energy. I feel like we have got that when we've got everyone fit, so it's definitely a lot better."
A trip down to the capital four days before Christmas is an away day which will whet the appetite for supporters - more than 900 of whom are making the journey down. With Loftus Road a unique stadium, Preston’s boss is looking forward to seeing what Saturday brings.
“It is a good ground," said Heckingbottom. "It's a good one to play at, because it is so tight and close. The atmosphere can be good and I am expecting a good atmosphere, because of their recent results. It is Christmas and yeah, it's always been a good ground to go and play or manage at.
“They are always better when you win down there. So, we want to make sure we put in a performance where we give ourselves the best chance of doing that. (QPR) have changed their approach, in how they play. It is noticeable in those games (they are unbeaten).
“They’ve scored a lot of goals from set-plays and counter-attacks. And, they are working hard - you can see it, whether that’s in their upturn in results, more confidence, a real demand or teams being picked on work ethic. But yeah, there is an energy to them which has coincided with their results.”