'It'll be...' - Preston North End manager fires Stoke City warning as Mark Robins observation made

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom says Saturday will be a very different challenge for his team, as they host Stoke City.

The Lilywhites head into the match looking to bounce back from Wednesday night’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Derby County. At Pride Park, the relegation battling Rams were defensively resilient and successfully targeted PNE with crosses into the box.

Now, Preston prepare to lock horns with another club who are far from out of the survival scrap. The Potters picked up a much needed win last time out, at home to Queens Park Rangers. That game saw Heckingbottom get a good glimpse into the way Mark Robins’ men are being coached.

“Stoke, watching them against QPR on the weekend, they were very good without the ball, 4-4-2, really aggressive press with the ball, tried to pass it and be quick,” said Heckingbottom, following Wednesday’s defeat to Derby County. “So, it'll be a totally different challenge.

“They'll try and come at us in a different way. But the one common thing, you've got Derby, Stoke, Cardiff, Plymouth, Hull (to play) - they're fighting for their lives. We played an FA Cup quarter-final last weekend; those five teams, these are their FA Cup quarter-finals, with a bigger prize probably, of staying in the league.

“It'll be a different style of game. When I saw the (Stoke) team and score at the weekend, a lot of big players for them were back. And then watching the game, I got a good idea then of what Mark's trying to do there. I would imagine he sticks with very similar to what he played last weekend.”

“Getting those good habits in place.”

Heckingbottom freshened his XI up with five changes in midweek. The Stoke clash will see Leeds United loan man Sam Greenwood return from his two-game suspension. Another boost to the squad is certainly welcomed by North End’s boss - who is keen to get his side back out there, and show far better over the course of the final seven games.

“Yeah, and you can make more changes based on performance as well,” said Heckingbottom. “If someone's not doing it as much, you can change the team around whether that's picking the team, or from the bench. You'd rather have that competition and that ability in every single position.

“We've talked a bit about preparations for next season, going through what you want to do and getting those good habits in place. How we get the most points, 100 per cent, and how we get the most out of these games, in terms of the players understanding what went wrong and what's expected. And, the players understanding what is needed if you want to be challenging at the top.”

Your next PNE read: Preston North End predicted XI vs Stoke City as loan man returns