Preston North End boss happy after their weekend Sheffield Wednesday workout

Paul Heckingbottom hailed a good day’s work after Preston North End’s squad played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

The match, which was played over two 60-minute halves, saw Wednesday 2-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Louie Barry and Jamal Lowe.

Alfie Devine and Callum Lang scored for PNE in the second half before Reece Johnson gave the visitors a 3-2 win.

With North End now embarking upon their six-day training camp in Spain, Heckingbottom labelled the weekend’s game as another step forward in preparing for the 2026/27 Championship season.

He said: “The team we put out in the first half faced a strong Wednesday 11, so they probably got more out of it than the second group.

“We’re working hard, it was another 60 minutes and also a big jump from the two 45-minute halves against Bamber Bridge.

“Sheffield Wednesday are very fit and will be strong next season, so I’m happy we’re taking more steps forward.”

Saturday’s game also saw new signing Jusef Erabi play the opening hour as he linked up with his team-mates for the first time.

Heckingbottom added: “If he hadn’t come in and shown us what a fit lad he is, he wouldn’t have played 60 minutes.

“He’s not played football for a few months, but he’s been training hard on his own. This week is the first football he’s had for a while.

“We didn’t use him at Bamber Bridge as it was only his second day, so we needed to make sure he got some more days with the lads.

“He probably got tired in the last 15 minutes of the first game, but it’ll do him good. Next week will be good for him too, when he’s away with the players for a full week.”