Preston Manager Paul Heckingbottom Expresses Contentment with Team’s Developing ‘Identity’

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has stated his satisfaction with the speed at which his team has cultivated a clear ‘identity’. Heckingbottom’s career includes managing four different clubs in the Championship. Following a goalless draw against Sunderland at home, the team’s recent form shows only one loss in their last seven matches. Despite this, their position in the league table keeps them just outside the bottom three, separated by goal difference. Heckingbottom, formerly manager of Sheffield United, took over from Ryan Lowe in August and has accumulated 15 points across his 12 games at the helm. He told BBC Radio Lancashire, “The pleasing thing is when I speak to people in football and teams are preparing to play us, we’ve got an identity, a clear style. Teams are having to change and be really disciplined to get the better of us. I take that as a compliment.” So far this season, Preston has seen an increase in key performance indicators; their average possession per match has climbed from 44.6% to 47.6%, and their shots per game have increased from 9.26 to 10.64. These figures are based on only one-third of the season having been completed. In the previous season, Preston recorded more shots at goal than only Rotherham United, who finished at the bottom of the league, across the entire campaign. However, Heckingbottom’s primary objective remains converting these enhanced statistics into tangible improvements in results. While their recent sequence of seven games features just one defeat, it also includes only two victories. He commented, “The bits that are really pleasing me is how we’re outperforming teams in terms of xG as I know that was a big issue for the group. But the result will always be determined by what happens in both boxes. Overall the level of performance has been that good. I know this league inside out and there’s no reason why we can’t be competitive with sides like Sunderland.”