Preston North End season review: One that got away and fascinating summer now ahead
The Lilywhites finished 14th in the Championship after showing first-half season promise
From the outside it must simply look another predictable season for Preston North End. Oh yes, there they are again, close to acquaintances Bristol City, QPR and Stoke. Everything is right in the world. Ironically, before a ball was kicked there would’ve been very few turning their nose up at a 14th placed finish. The Lilywhites had the relegation fright of their lives this time last year. This could not happen again; this didn’t happen again.
Of course, the route back to PNE’s humble mid-table abode wasn’t smooth. Following a first summer where Paul Heckingbottom was allowed to make a real mark on the squad, North End took us high, lured us in, made us feel, believe, and maybe even dream. In an increasingly stat-driven, engagement-fuelled football world, judgements can be hard to form while narratives are relentlessly driven.
As former player Tom Barkhuizen once put perfectly, hope is all the Deepdale faithful wants; hope that their team may do something they aren’t supposed to. You always err on the side of caution and tell yourself not to get carried away, but that was easier said than done as PNE climbed to fourth after 26 matches, level on points with Millwall. The remarkable drop-off which followed has been done to death. All that promise perished at rapid speed.
Ultimately, that is how this North End season will be reflected on: the campaign that could’ve been. The Lilywhites were a victim of their own performance in that sense, because this wasn’t a year anyone headed into expecting a play-off tilt. Alex Neil once rightly said the club must have a ‘perfect storm’ season to succeed. Instead of that, Preston got half-way there only to be hit with a hurricane.
The start of that was a dismal FA Cup defeat to Wigan Athletic which, ironically, followed one of PNE’s best days of the season: Bristol City away. North End offered glimpses of recovery power but never truly found it. Last minute goals at Ipswich, Blackburn and then Swansea - in the space of three-and-a-half weeks - were smashes to the face. Preston’s plight was epitomised by sudden fears of another survival scrap.
No matter what challenges you face and setbacks you take, the expectation to win remains and one win in 12 was a terrible run of form post-Latics. Heckingbottom’s men came out of the other side with 11 points from their final eight games; avoidable draws with QPR and Leicester served as more frustration. There was plenty of that over the nine months but also moments of joy and memories to cherish.
At the heart of that was the wonderful loan duo of Lewis Dobbin and Alfie Devine, whom the PNE faithful will forever respect and fondly remember. Two classy, talented footballers but also humble, down to earth and driven individuals. The sight of Daniel Iversen between the sticks again has been a source of comfort. Leicester and Sheffield United at home, Derby and Southampton away: good times.
Every summer is described as big at Deepdale but more than ever, the eyes are on what comes next for the club. A new dawn looms in the background until there is any clarity or further communication on takeover talk. Heckingbottom and McCall have both made their cases, publicly, to lead a taken-over PNE. The manager is clear on what needs to happen off the pitch and has tried to drive it as much as possible since being appointed.
Needless to say, he was underwhelmed by the backing over the course of last season - though impressed by the work North End managed to do in the summer window. If change does happen the timing will be fitting, after another major opportunity in January wasn’t truly seized. Nobody knows what the future looks like and the grass isn’t always greener, but there’s only so long you can stand still before it catches up with you.