Incredible 20 game record which Preston North End could next extend against Sunderland

Deepdale hasn’t quite been the fortress Preston North End would’ve wanted in recent seasons - but midweek night games are an exception.

Indeed, after drawing 2-2 with Norwich City and beating Coventry City 1-0 in the last two games, the Lilywhites’ home record - in league, midweek matches - is quite something. North End have not lost in their last 20 of those, which stretches all the way back to February 2021.

Now, that is specifically fixtures played in the midweek round of games - so PNE’s 0-3 loss to Leicester City, which was played on a Monday night, is excluded for instance. That match was scheduled for the weekend round of games, but moved for TV coverage.

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The run stretches all the way back to Watford’s 0-1 win at Deepdale, in February 2021, when Joao Pedro’s penalty won the game for the visitors, late on. That was played behind closed doors, with April 2018 the last time PNE fans saw their team lose a ‘classic’ home, midweek league game. That was when Leeds United triumphed 0-2 in Lancashire. Although, you may count Middlesbrough’s 0-2 win at Preston on New Year’s Day, in 2020 - that match was played on a Wednesday.

After learning of the stat on Tuesday night, midfielder Ali McCann said: “Is it yeah?! That is class. I didn’t know that, to be fair. There is just something about it, coming here for a night game. You just feel the atmosphere and now you say that, looking back we have had some really good results. It just seems, under the lights, that we will come away with something. I didn’t know that stat! It’s pretty cool.”

Here’s a breakdown of those 21 results, in full!

2024/25

PNE 2-2 Norwich City (Greenwood pen, Holmes)

PNE 3-0 Watford (Osmajic 2, McCann)

2023/24

PNE 4-1 Huddersfield Town (Osmajic 3, Keane pen)

PNE 2-1 Middlesbrough (Millar, Riis)

PNE 2-2 Southampton (Potts, Osmajic)

PNE 2-1 Birmingham (Osmajic, OG)

2022/23

PNE 0-0 Coventry City

PNE 1-1 Luton Town (Parrott pen)

PNE 1-0 Swansea City (Potts)

PNE 1-0 West Brom (Riis)

PNE 1-1 Burnley (Storey)

PNE 0-0 Rotherham United

2021/22

PNE 1-0 Blackpool (Archer)

PNE 0-0 Nottingham Forest

PNE 0-0 Huddersfield Town

PNE 2-2 Sheffield United (Browne, Riis)

PNE 2-1 Coventry City (Bauer, Riis)

PNE 1-1 Stoke City (Whiteman)

PNE 3-0 Derby County (Whiteman, Evans, Ledson)

PNE 0-0 Queens Park Rangers