Preston North End man set to make third start in 2.5 years against West Brom as manager fires message

Preston North End goalkeeper Dai Cornell is set for his first Championship start under manager Paul Heckingbottom.

The Welshman will be between the sticks for Saturday’s home encounter with West Brom, after number one Freddie Woodman was shown a straight red card against Stoke City in midweek. Cornell was thrust into the action at the bet365 Stadium, in the 90th minute, and managed to keep the clean sheet in tact.

Now, he is in line to make only his third league start for North End - and sixth appearance across all competitions. Cornell was signed as a free agent in the summer of 2022, following his exit from Peterborough United.

In his first campaign at Deepdale, the shot-stopper played one game - away to Wolves in the Carabao Cup. Last season, he started away to Leeds United and Swansea City in the league, while also playing against Salford City in the cup. The substitute outing at Stoke was his first of the current campaign.

Discussing the goalkeeper, on Thursday, Heckingbottom said: “He trains really hard every day and yeah, so he is ready. He will be looking forward to it, do you know what I mean? It’s a tough role, number two goalkeeper if you like. But, he trains hard, is good about the place and he will have been waiting for this opportunity. That is why he works hard every day.”

Cornell initially signed a two-year deal at Preston, but it was announced back in January that his contract had been extended until 2026. The 33-year-old’s role at Deepdale has been clear ever since he came through the door, while his community work has been praised and a strong friendship has been built up with Woodman too. Heckingbottom was also quizzed on the dynamic of the goalkeeping department - and whether he would prefer to have an obvious number one, like now.

“No, Freddie’s ‘number one’ because he’s been playing all the time, know what I mean?” said the PNE manager. “Maybe there was a dynamic before I came in, but in my mind nobody is guaranteed a place. But yeah, before I came in and then specifically while I’ve been in, Freddie has been in possession of that shirt. So yeah, like I say Dai has been champing at the bit, trains really hard.

“But, it’s a compliment to him - he understands his role. He does not slack off and think: ‘Oh, I am the number two’. He is training and training and training, trying to impress and knowing he needs to be ready for when that moment arrives. Ultimately, you go through seasons and while you cannot 100 per cent guarantee games, the chances are that you are going to get games. It is just how many you get, so he’s been training hard and he is ready to go.”

Woodman’s form has been a topic of debate among supporters for the last season-and-a-half. The goalkeeper kept 17 clean sheets in his first season at Deepdale, after signing from Newcastle United. Since then, it has been quite up and down for the 27-year-old. With a couple of mistakes made over the last few games, does Heckingbottom think Tuesday was a mistake in isolation - or a sign of a confidence-shot player?

“No, just a mistake,” said the PNE boss. “He came out of the box. If you look before that, distribution was good. Two things we have been pushing him on is being more positive in the box, coming for things and his distribution. He is right at the top in the Championship, for coming off his line and attacking balls - which is perfect for me, because that’s what I’ve said we need.

“And, also bypassing players when we have possession of the ball. He has been right up there for that as well. So yeah, one area he has not been able to show off about is making saves - because generally, we’ve been limiting those attempts on target, whether it is good defending or blocks. So yeah, what he has been doing up to that point, he’s been doing well.”