George Hodgson's four positives and three negatives from Preston North End's 2024/25 season so far

Up: FA Cup run at last

Recent generations had probably heard about the magic of the cup but never truly felt it. This season, though, has finally seen Preston North End put up a fight in both competitions. Sunderland, Harrogate Town and Fulham - after a thrilling shoot-out - knocked out of the Carabao Cup, to set up a home tie with Arsenal. If we’re honest, that wasn’t much fun at all. But the attitude towards the cups has been refreshing; them welcomed as opposed to loathed.

And one thing cup football does guarantee is a winner, there and then. The FA Cup, somewhat controversially but unsurprisingly, is now in that boat too. North End negotiated banana-skin ties against competitive League One outfits Wycombe and Charlton - which featured more penalty success. The subsequent fifth round victory at home to Burnley is a day that’ll be remembered for a long while; there was a brilliant feeling inside Deepdale that day and Paul Heckingbottom’s team were magnificent to a man.

It’s now on to Sunday’s quarter-final at home to Aston Villa which, realistically, is going to be an incredibly difficult test for PNE. They will go into the game as major underdogs. If there’s ever a time to embrace that tag - which Preston have done in the past - and deliver a giant killing then it’s this weekend. A Wembley semi-final awaits the winner. How’s that for motivation? You just never know.

Down: How it started

Just a real mess. Last season had ended dreadfully and there wasn’t a great mood around the club whatsoever at that point. North End decided to stick with Ryan Lowe but the Liverpudlian’s tenure was done and dusted after just one game, following a full pre-season and summer transfer window. The reception received in that Sheffield United curtain raiser the said reason; question marks over whether anything new was learned between May and that August night will always remain. A farcical situation to have unfolded which put Preston in a uncertain situation. Thankfully, a steady hand on the wheel arrived.

Up: Magical midweeks

The followings are smaller, sky darker and nights later, but that’s all part of the novelty, isn’t it? Saturday away days haven’t delivered three points for one whole year now, which is a quite ridiculous stat and needs looking at. For those hardy souls who’ve managed to make the long trips to Cardiff, Watford and Norwich, though, the memories will absolutely be cherished. North End were particularly impressive at Vicarage Road and Carrow Road. They came desperately close at the Stadium of Light this month, as well.

It didn’t take the boss long to conclude Preston had a soft-touch side to them on the road. That’s not an overnight fix and therefore still a work in progress, but there have been encouraging signs since the turn of the year. It’s not easy to go away from home and always perform at your best but PNE needed to add that gritty, savvy string to their bow again. They had lost it. In the interest of balance there has been some difficult days - Millwall and Portsmouth were woeful afternoons for North End - but at least there has been some evidence of learning and action.

Down: Dropped points

There was never any expectation for North End to be up there and challenging this season, especially given the circumstances which unfolded in August. It was very much about stabilising and adapting but that happened fairly quickly, with just two defeats in the first 10 games under Heckingbottom. While wins were going to be needed more regularly there was a bubbling confidence that Preston would be competitive, organised and therefore able to steer clear of trouble. It now points towards being a mid-table finish which, after the exit of Lowe, most would’ve probably taken.

That said, North End could’ve certainly been 6+ points better off and found themselves in and around it with eight to play. That’s not to say PNE would’ve snuck in or made a late surge; at the end of the day you tend to finish where you deserve and Preston just haven’t won enough games. They will certainly look back at the end of the season though and reflect on games that somehow got away from them. No more so than the calamity at Plymouth Argyle - one of the strangest and craziest matches in recent history for the Lilywhites.

Up: Difficult Deepdale

It’s where most of your fans watch the team play and for Preston to stand any chance of competing towards the top of the Championship, their home form has to be on point. It cannot be an easy place to visit. As already mentioned the victories have not come often enough but just one league defeat at Deepdale, since Heckingbottom arrived, is something the players and staff can reflect on with satisfaction.

It was Bristol City who inflicted that one loss. As good as the Robins were that day, it still took a blatant handball for them to hit the front. It was well documented that North End’s difficulties at Deepdale were a massive problem in 2022/23 - when they scored just 20 goals. Perhaps they are still reeling from that return in some ways. But if PNE can start to turn more draws into wins at home and continue being effective on the road, it’s a positive blueprint to move forward with.

Down: Money not so well spent

History tells us you rarely get them all right but Preston’s recruitment had started to expand by their standards, with seven-figure sums paid for overseas recruits Milutin Osmajic and Mads Frokjaer. The Lilywhites looked to strike again with Scandinavian signing Jeppe Okkels in the summer. This time, there was the red flag of the Dane’s signature being confirmed just a day or so after Lowe left the building. The reported £1.7million fee has since been shot down by CEO Peter Ridsdale - who says it is lower than that.

Nonetheless, if PNE are spending seven-figures on a player then they need to be on the pitch and making an impact for the team - not loaned out to Aberdeen five months later. As Frokjaer, Osmajic and Stefan Thordarson have shown, it can be difficult to adjust straight away but at the moment there doesn’t seem much future for Okkels at Preston. Certainly not on paper, anyway. If he proves everyone wrong in that regard then all parties will be delighted; he came across as a thoroughly decent person and someone you would like to see succeed, after a turbulent 12+ months football-wise.

The Dons move just doesn’t looked to have been much of a hit, though. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens in the wide positions next season, with loan men Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Jayden Meghoma heading back in the summer to their parent clubs - while Robbie Brady is out of contract as things stand. The PNE boss has implemented a far more fluid system but Preston are still operating with wing-backs - which are not easy to find. Okkels doesn’t fit into that shape so unless there is a big refresh in the summer, North End may need to cut their losses.

Up: Duo in the dugout

The vast majority of supporters seem firmly with Heckingbottom and his number two Stuart McCall, which doesn’t half create a better environment. Atmosphere on a match day at Deepdale clearly needs work and the Preston manager hasn’t been afraid to raise that in press conferences - but in a way which has appeared to motivate instead of antagonise.

That’s not an easy thing to do but Heckingbottom’s media game has often been authentic and assured, which hasn’t done him any harm at all. The management duo looked a good fit from the off and right at home. It’s by no means an easy job they’ve taken on but Heckingbottom and McCall are not only experienced coaches - who’ve tasted success at this level - but characters who resonate, and know what a Preston side should be all about. There’s lots of work to do this summer; they need all the support they can get.

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