Preston North End boss backs Thierry Small after abuse from 'idiot' and Charlton Athletic expert on return

Thierry Small makes his first return to Charlton Athletic on Saturday, since making the switch to Preston North End in the summer. The 21-year-old is one of the bubbliest, most energetic personalities you will come across in football but it’s fair to assume he felt pretty low over the Easter weekend.

In the reverse fixture with the Addicks, Small fired PNE in front - his second goal in the space of five days - and celebrated passionately towards the travelling fans, some of whom had booed him prior. Speaking post-match, Small admitted it was a shame how things played out that day and emphasised his respect for Charlton as a football club.

At that juncture of North End’s season, the vibes were great for Small: New Kid on the Block, Talk of the Town... you get the idea. But, with it his first Championship season and the wide man’s career still very much in its infancy, there were always going to be peaks and troughs, bumps in the road and challenges for Small to overcome.

Easter Monday was certainly one of those, five weeks or so after boss Paul Heckingbottom dropped Small from the squad for a couple of league games. After being brought off the bench against QPR, the England U21 international sliced in a horrible own goal to turn three points into one. He then shared vile, racist abuse directed his way on Instagram.

Addressing that on Thursday, Heckingbottom said: “It's the ugly side of football. The police are involved and it's someone with their own personal account who's not connected to us, lives out of this country and is known to the police to have done it before - targeted other players at other clubs as well.

“So yeah, it looks like he's a professional idiot rather than just a one-off idiot. We'll never see this guy. They're not going to get hold of him, they're not going to know him. They hide behind that anonymity of an online profile and things. Thierry knows we've got his back. Our fans will show Thierry the love for him at the next game and the upcoming games.”

This weekend marks Preston’s 2025/26 Gentry Day fixture, where supporters don suits and bowler hats and remember those they have lost in the last 12 months. It is a day for the PNE faithful to show class. In addition to paying respects, you can only imagine how Small will feel - and what it will mean to him - if the away end backs him ferociously.

On his return to The Valley, Addicks reporter Louis Mendez said: “He got some unjust stick really in the game at Deepdale, which I think is why he gave it back when he scored! He completely revitalised Charlton's season last year. Nathan Jones finally found someone who could play right wing back and it gave Charlton dual threats down both wings.

“I always thought he had a lot of promise, so I do take quite an interest in what the Preston fans have been saying about him recently. I'm not massively shocked. I think the bits we knew he was good at in terms of driving forward with the ball, it sounds like he's been doing that a lot this year.

“But, decision making and final product is always going to be the thing for someone who's being asked to make stuff happen. He'll get the odd boo on Saturday because sometimes returning players do, but I think that I think that's pretty harsh. When he gave it back to the Charlton fans up at Deepdale, we started it!

“So, I had no qualms about that. The fans did find it funny watching his own goal over the weekend but I think that would’ve been the same if it was anyone, because it was quite a funny moment which, obviously, Thierry could’ve done without. It was a shame it happened to him and what followed after was obviously, pretty disgusting.

“So yeah, hopefully people will take that into account as well when they think about the sort of reception they're going to give him on Saturday, and just know that he's been through a tough time this week. I always liked him. I wasn’t shocked that he ended up in the Championship, whether it was with us or not.”

There are some players you naturally root for and want to see succeed. Small, given his appetite for the game and ambition as a player, surely falls into that category. There was a great buzz around his signing last summer and there is still so much scope for him to grow in a Preston shirt. Nailing down his role in the side and giving him the platform, as often as possible, to attack will be important.

But, this season was always going to test him and one of the first things Heckingbottom said about Small mustn’t be forgotten: To paraphrase, if the winger was the finished article he wouldn’t have arrived at Deepdale. The onus is therefore on Preston to strike the balance between challenging Small but also persisting with him and, ultimately, maximising his obvious potential.

”We've just been speaking about signing younger players who are trying to make the step up and we've got to be patient with them, we've got to work hard with them,” said Heckingbottom, when considering where Small’s development will be at this summer.

“We’ve got to make sure that we give him, and any players like that, the best possible chance to make their mark and establish themselves. Hopefully, we progress together or they grow bigger than us and we cash in on them - that's it.

“Thierry certainly showed at the start of the season that he's got attributes where he can really, really cope at this level and cause the opposition problems. As with all young players, that consistency and delivering performances week after week is that next step.”