Preston North End are at a crux point and must nail this summer to give Paul Heckingbottom any chance

It’s April and that means one thing for Preston North End... time to start looking ahead to next season. Even after one win in 11 games, it would take a complete and utter disaster for the Lilywhites to be sucked into trouble with four games to play. It’s been a strange yet, at the same time, incredibly similar campaign for the Deepdale club. Amid the early manager turmoil and memorable run to the FA Cup last eight, we’ve watched a team never overly trouble either end of the table. This is what happens here.

If you’ve labelled every summer as ‘big’ for the last decade then the meaning starts to fade, but this one really does feel like a crux point for PNE - who will finish with their lowest points tally in the second tier, since promotion in 2015, unless they win every remaining fixture. Even then, they would equal the lowest of 61. To level most, or even much, of that at management duo Paul Heckingbottom and Stuart McCall - who feel more of a pair than any before at Preston - would be harsh.

They arrived on August 20 after two defeats and a 2023/24 season which PNE ended dreadfully. This could’ve easily gone a lot worse. For sure, North End’s manager hasn’t got it right every game this season and there have been poor showings over the course of it; no win away from home, on a Saturday, since March 2024 is not a good stat whatsoever. And while you want to be glass-half-full around draws, 19 of them is staggering. Only Cardiff and Plymouth have won fewer games; only six teams have lost fewer. Regardless of all that, Heckingbottom appears to have the PNE faithful with him - which is no great surprise.

It had turned ugly with the fan base and the former incumbent; you could argue that whoever walked through the door was going to get a decent backing. But the former Barnsley boss felt like a decent fit from the off. His comments in the media - such a key thing in this day and age - have largely been received well, due to a mixture of authenticity, honesty and detail. Deepdale, for all the talk of atmosphere, has felt more of a fortress under his stewardship - with just one league defeat suffered.

There will be little external excitement and intrigue around the final four fixtures but it is paramount Preston win some of them, and go right until the Ashton Gate encounter in terms of endeavour. When the fire is only just still flickering around a football club, you cannot afford another dismal season end. Heckingbottom, who has shown his ability to make North End a competitive side, must be desperate to reach the summer and freshen this thing up. In 2025/26, he will rightly be judged a lot more.

But make no mistake about it, he has one almighty job on his hands. Preston’s boss, striking just the right tone, has called out club mentality and stadium atmosphere this year: a staleness, which has built up over a decade of few thrills, clearly felt by him. A large onus is on the boss, his staff and squad to try and ignite some life into a pretty static machine; there will be nothing radical changing off the pitch. Over to you, gaffer, to coach the life out of a football team, in a league that promises to be tougher next season.

Undoubtedly, Heckingbottom will view the potential of 10 summer signings as a positive opportunity but the proof really will be in the pudding. Unless a sizable offer comes in for one of Preston’s players, there is going to be a huge reliance on the loan market - once again - and free transfers. One of the few players who may attract a nice sum has been at the centre of controversy this year. Having spent around £7m on five players in the last two years and recouped next-to-nothing in sales, if cash is splashed it absolutely cannot be wasted.

That is not to suggest PNE are doomed; quality can still be acquired for nothing, and via the loan market - though the latter does little for forward planning. As enjoyable and impressive as recent temporary recruits have been, none of them have managed to help push Preston into contention and other clubs have made cracking money as a result. North End’s squad is ageing, asset-bare and imbalanced. It will take a recruitment miracle to fix all of that in one transfer window, with the resources at disposal. A start can be made, mind.

Off the pitch is spoken about just as much as on it, at Preston. Some may argue not enough but when the heat is on, it’s on. There is a backdrop of blandness. Regardless of recent league finishes, Preston’s ceiling has felt restricted for a while. Occasional highs are delivered whether it’s derby day victories, late winners or magical midweeks on the road. But you would struggle to suggest there has been a belief bubbling away in recent years, for any kind of sustained period. Competing is respectable but a football club has to always look up; no time to pat yourself on the back, or label mid-table as an overachievement. Nobody wants to hear that, especially not after all this time. How does it raise standards, or create an environment for real success?

It’s why the Aston Villa match made Deepdale shine in the way it did: a genuine occasion. Those just don’t happen very often. The bigger picture is a different matter all together, with the Premier League seemingly running away in worrying fashion. For PNE, though, that is nothing to focus on, or moan about, for now. If you do then you’ll start to wonder what this is even all about. North End’s task is to get back competing in the top half of the league and looking, genuinely, like play-off contenders.

Preston, therefore, must find their edge on the competition - many of whom have superior spending power. The two clearest ways North End can do that under the current regime is by nailing their recruitment, and having the right man in the dugout. Heckingbottom will still have sections to convince after this season but he knows what success at this level looks like, and is clear where PNE need to improve. To state the obvious, his team - almost certainly without Emil Riis next year - have to be miles better in the final third.

Preston haven’t carried a threat consistently enough and when they have done, end product has let them down. That is not a new problem, either. For everything off-the-pitch, one thing which would go a long way is North End becoming a more entertaining side to watch. Kaine Kesler-Hayden has been a breath of fresh air this season but the wing-back system has, too often, bored people to death over the last few years. Even Brad Potts must be bored of playing it. The creativity, speed and flair doesn’t have to come from wide positions, but it has to be somewhere in the side. The sight of wingers, or anyone in fact, going at opposition players with speed and skill hasn’t half been missed.

At which point, club identity is probably worth bringing into the discussion. It’s a term some sneer at but a clear one would’ve made the manager’s job easier this season - whether that was Heckingbottom or not - because everything would’ve been aligned and in place. While PNE have looked to be brave and tenacious - things they always should be - you would struggle to describe exactly what North End are. Or maybe more so, what they are really good at. The back three has completely taken over in recent seasons; Preston’s vibe has been a bit Jack of all Trades, Master of None.

Not possession-dominant, transition-focused, set-piece orientated, big goal scorers or ultra-resolute. Their play is sometimes sharp and watchable, and sometimes they are super resilient and never look like conceding. Never that consistently, though, and you never can be too sure what you’ll rock up and see on a Saturday, or Tuesday. Granted, there is a place for pragmatism and every opponent is looking to make life difficult for you. But perhaps it’s why nearly all opposition managers label Preston as physical and aggressive, because one thing that is almost guaranteed is honesty and heart.

If you stopped to recall some of the stand out showings from recent campaigns, a relentless energy and intensity - opposition outfought - would likely be at the core of them. And over a gruelling Championship season, a top, top, level of that is a difficult thing to bring to the table every match. That’s where you need to fall back on something else; another string to your bow. Heckingbottom and co must decide what that is going to be. To focus purely on the football is perhaps to miss the point, mind, because there is so much more around North End which can be improved to help try take the club forward.

Many will feel a takeover is required but while the owners continues to pump in enormous sums of money per-year - the latest annual contribution a mere c£11million - focus has to be on reducing that number by bringing more in, with work across all departments needing to be smarter than ever. That financial backing has, to date, helped keep North End’s heads well above water in the Championship. But when you’ve done that for so long and, in the grand scheme of things stood fairly still, it’s reasonable to worry what exactly happens next. So, 360 more minutes of football and then, you guessed it, one big old summer.

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