The Opposition preston north end

Nickname: The Lilywhites Formed: 1880 Stadium: Deepdale Stadium Capacity: 23,404 Chairman: Craig Hemmings Manager: Frankie McAvoy Last season finish: 13th in the Championship

ONE TO WATCH Ali McCann

MIDFIELDER

DOB: 4 December 1994

Regardless of speculation that both Rangers and Celtic were keeping tabs on the effervescent midfielder, Preston pulled off one of the coups of the summer in luring McCann to PR1.

The 21-year-old already has five caps at international level for Northern Ireland, was a double domestic cup winner with St Johnstone last season and played in the Europa League this August before his deadline-day switch south of the border. A graduate from the McDiarmid Park Academy, the Edinburgh-born player debuted in 2018 and made more than a century of appearances for Saints, including 43 last season as they clinched a surprise Scottish Cup and League Cup double. McAvoy was certainly a long-term admirer of the high-octane tyro and was thrilled to get the pedigree performer through the door last month, believing Preston’s style of playing will extenuate the youngster’s strengths. He said: “We’ve seen him play for a while. We watched him closely and he was a player we always had in our thoughts. Thankfully we have managed to get the deal over the line, although it was very close to the deadline, but it’s a brilliant signing for Preston North End. He’s one of the best young players in Scotland.”

FRANKIE GOES TO DEEPDALE

Preston fans could have been forgiven for fearing the worst after the final whistle had been blown on the opening day of the new season. A thumping 4-1 defeat on home soil to Championship newcomers Hull City, was not how Head Coach Frankie McAvoy would have envisaged his first game in

permanent charge of the club playing out.

Having ended the previous campaign with four successive wins to climb into mid-table, a miserable loss to the Tigers was as unexpected as it was “bitterly, bitterly disappointing”, as McAvoy reflected to BBC Radio Lancashire post-match.

The defeat was compounded by away-day losses at both Reading and Huddersfield Town before North End’s early-season jitters abated. A paternalistic approach and astute man-management from McAvoy, who accumulated 17 points from eight matches during interim charge last season after replacing Alex Neil, has galvanised the side once again.

German defender Patrick Bauer headed in Preston’s first points of 2021/22 during a hard-fought victory over Peterborough United, before Danish forward Emil Riis Jakobsen inspired Carabao Cup success at Morecambe and a 3-1 win over Swansea City four days later.

A goalless draw with Bristol City and a rescued point at Sheffield United, courtesy of Jakobsen’s sixth goal of the campaign deep into injury time, highlighted the resolve and determined characters Preston have through the nucleus of their squad this season.

Further examples of such substance were on display last week. North End held promotion-favourites West Bromwich Albion to a draw, after Ben Whiteman had broken the deadlock, before the Lilywhites extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven games with a convincing 4-1 cup success against Cheltenham Town in a first-ever meeting.

Last season the Lancashire outfit were boom or bust on their travels, with 11 wins and 10 defeats, and developed a reputation as a soft touch at Deepdale with the fourth worst home record in the division. There is no longer any sign of that soft underbelly this time around, as McAvoy has made his workaholic side well-drilled in a 3-4-1-2 system.

These may be nascent days in the 54-year-old’s era, but he was particularly satisfied with his side’s display against the Baggies, writing in the club’s official matchday publication ‘The One And Only’ in

IN THE DUGOUT Frankie McAvoy

DOB: 9 July 1967 Appointed: May 2021

The former Royal Mail postal cadet is now delivering on the touchline for North End, having been appointed permanently to the position last May. Academy Coach at Dunfermline before becoming Alex Neil’s long-term sidekick at Hamilton Academical, Norwich City and then Preston, the Lankarkshire-born boss was content with his career reinvention as a number two following nearly two decades in the postal service. However, the 54-year-old was thrust into the limelight last March upon Neil’s dismissal and won five of his eight matches in interim charge to steer the club away from any immediate danger and underline his credentials going solo. Preston’s top-brass were suitably impressed to ignore 70 other applicants to make the internal promotion and McAvoy has since put his background in organisation, teamwork and man-management to good use. Preston are on a seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions, as well as into the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2016/17, and McAvoy is optimistic about what the future may bring next. He told The Guardian in July: “This season is a great unknown. You can not see your future. Everybody would love to write a book but there are some pages of that book that you’ll never know what is there. It is intriguing.”

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

midweek: “On Saturday we took a good point. Before the game I knew we needed to stand up and be counted and the type of challenge we’d be facing and we worked really, really hard and we stood up to everything that they put at us. has allowed Jamaican international Daniel Johnson to operate behind a front two. Such creative freedom for the twice recipient of the club’s Golden Boot was perfectly illustrated with his 50th goal for the club at Bramall Lane earlier this month.

A lack of cutting edge was a major criticism levelled at them last season, with top scorer Scott Sinclair only registering nine goals and nothing from February. In addition to the former Birmingham City loanee, McAvoy now has a myriad of forward options in his armoury. Republic of Ireland international Sean Maguire started alongside Jackobsen last time out in the league but former Premier League scorer Connor Wickham started in midweek before hobbling off. Other impressive alternatives include Ched Evans, speed merchant Josh Murphy borrowed from Cardiff City and the longserving Tom Barkhuizen.

“The group of players that we’ve got, I know they give everything. I don’t think anybody can question their integrity, their commitment, their energy and their enthusiasm. Everything they do for the team is great and I was delighted with them again.

“West Brom are a formidable team; they are big and strong; they have got some good players as well - but we managed to stand up to the challenge and maintained our unbeaten run.”

In front of Leicester City loanee Daniel Iversen in goal, a back three including league ever-presents Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes has looked more resilient each week, with wing-backs Josh Earl and Liverpool’s Sepp van der Berg offering industriousness down either flank.

Last season’s Player of the Year Ryan Ledson has struck up an innate central midfield understanding with the irrepressible Whiteman, which With experienced heads of left-back Greg Cunningham, captain Alan Browne and Brad Potts to fit into the side, as well as Northern Ireland cap Alistair McCann, McAvoy will see no reason why his side can not break the 70-point barrier this season, a feat they have achieved only once since returning to the Championship six years ago.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Four sides all starting with the letter B enjoy home comforts this afternoon in the Championship, but Blues will be demanding an A* showing from themselves in the club’s 100th meeting with Preston North End.

League leaders AFC Bournemouth, who went top last week after Philip Billing’s winner at Cardiff City, will want to preserve their unbeaten home record against visiting draw specialists Luton Town, after fellow high-fliers Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion were both on home soil last night.

At the other end of the table former Swansea City boss Steve Cooper became Nottingham Forest’s 14th manager in the last decade on Tuesday, after Chris Hughton was dismissed with the Reds bottom of the division. Cooper takes charge at the City Ground for the first time this afternoon in welcoming Gary Rowett’s Millwall.

Bristol City will want to compound Fulham’s frustrating week with a first win at Ashton Gate since January, with the Cottagers still smarting from a dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat to Leeds United in the Carabao Cup. Sheffield United were also vanquished via the spot in midweek despite holding Southampton to a 2-2 draw, yet will believe they can continue their resurgence and overcome administration-bound Derby County today.

Elsewhere, QPR and Stoke City are in buoyant mood after taking cup scalps. A Charlie Austin double helped the R’s eliminate Everton and reach the competition’s last 16 for the first time since 2008, while after knocking out Watford 3-1 Michael O’Neil’s Potters will look to extend Hull City’s eight-game winless run in Staffordshire.

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