[themaclad]

Deepdale 12.30pm

The unrefined joy of a dinner time kick off, early start from the mass following that will arrive from Teesside to watch the laegue leaders with a 100% record take on a North End side with a 100% home record.

Personally dislike 12.30 boot offs although never was overly fussed about 11 am kick offs we used to have when football was good

MANAGER

Robert Owen Edwards (born 25 December 1982) is a professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of EFL Championship club Middlesbrough. Born in England to Welsh parents, he represented Wales internationally.[5]

Edwards began his career with Aston Villa, making his senior debut in the Premier League. He then moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2004, where he spent four seasons at Championship level. He helped both Blackpool and Norwich to promotions to the Premier League and featured for Barnsley in the Championship before retiring due to injury in 2013. He played international football for Wales, making his debut in 2004 and winning 15 caps in total. His father also played for Wales, at U18 level.[6] He completed his coaching badges with the Football Association of Wales and moved into management after retiring as a player.[7]

Edwards managed Wolves' academy and had an interim spell at the first team, before leading AFC Telford United and the England under-16 team. He guided Forest Green Rovers to promotion as League Two champions in the 2021–22 season. Watford appointed Edwards as manager in May 2022 but he was dismissed just four months later in September.[8] He joined Luton Town later that year, leading the club to promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.[9] In January 2025 he left Luton Town by mutual agreement. On 24 June 2025 Edwards was appointed head coach of Middlesbrough.



Seems a decent bloke had to cope with some issues at Luton mainly health related to Tom Lockyer, although do note he is tainted with 59 appearences for Blackpool, which does rid him of a few Brownie points, speaking of Brownie he's signed our ex skipper Alan Browne on loan

RECENTS



SOME NEWBIES AND HOT SHOTS



OTHER FIXTURES

[themaclad]

Team News

After missing the Portsmouth match before the international break, Alfie Devine has returned to training and will be back available for selection.

There will likely be a late decision made on whether to use Milutin Osmajić or not. Manager Paul Heckingbottom says the striker has “recovered well” from his rib injury and could make the weekend, but he may need a few more days to recover.

Brad Potts, Jordan Thompson, Robbie Brady and Will Keane remain sidelined.

The Visitors
[
Since his appointment in the summer following the departure of Michael Carrick, Rob Edwards has enjoyed a perfect start to life at the Riverside.

Boro are the only Championship side to have won all four of their opening fixtures, with the Teessiders coming out on top against Swansea City, Millwall, Norwich City and Sheffield United.

The travelling fans will be hoping to get their eyes on the club’s deadline day signings, with Slovakian striker David Strelec arriving fresh from a wonder-strike against Germany during the break, meanwhile former North End captain Alan Browne will be in contention to make his debut.

Match Officials
[
Referee: Thomas Kirk
Assistant Referees: Sam Lewis and Lee Venamore
Fourth Official: Aaron Bannister

Thomas Kirk will take charge of the first Preston North End fixture of his career on Saturday.

Kirk, who has been officiating in the EFL since 2022, has refereed four matches so far this season, showing 22 yellow cards in four matches.

We’ve Met Before
Stefán Thórdarson and Emil Riis were on the scoresheet in North End’s last match against Middlesbrough in January 2025.

Phase 2 of the season begins, hopefully better than the hapless sap who said that last week, toughie against the Boro, good news Edwards has got manager of the month which is always a curse.
It's on the telebox, clashes though with Pickering Town against Runcorn Linnets on the BBC red button, for those not going choose wisely

[themaclad]

[b]HECK

Paul Heckingbottom is looking forward to seeing how his team and the club’s supporters react to the league leaders coming to Deepdale.

So far this season, North End have taken maximum points from their home league matches, against Leicester City and Ipswich Town – two sides fancied to be right at the top of the division come the end of the season.

This Saturday, PNE will take on a Boro side who have won all four of their opening fixtures and top the table at this early stage of the season.

Hecky said: “Everyone enjoys these games. I think it's another sellout from the away end as well, which our fans always respond to and seem to raise their game as well.

“I think everyone's looking forward to it. Everyone knows it's going to be tough. Everyone knows it's going to be a good atmosphere. In my time here these have been good and big games that sort of take care of themselves.

“We're under no illusions of how tough it's going to be but we've shown that when we produce the levels of performances for the 90-odd minutes, whatever it takes, we can compete and beat what is in front of us.”

PNE will be boosted by the return from injury of Alfie Devine, who missed the match prior to the international break, while a late decision will be made on top scorer Milutin Osmajić.

Deadline day signing Harrison Armstrong will come into contention after joining up with his new teammates on Thursday, following a successful international break with England U19s.


Hecky said: “He was well sought-after. He had a good season at Derby last year where he sort of announced himself and the fact he’s 18 playing at that level.

“But we think there's more to come from him. He certainly does. It'll be interesting to see where we can take him this season and what he ends up bringing because he's got a great career ahead of him, I'm certain of that. Who knows where he'll end up for Everton in terms of his career.

“I'm excited to be working with him. He's someone who we've certainly not just brought in for the numbers. We think he can help us, we think he improves us, and we're looking forward to getting him on the pitch and working with him.”

There are a number of players still to return from their respective injuries, but the addition of Armstrong and the return of Devine means that Heckingbottom has a wealth of options at his disposal.

“I’m hoping we see that with the bench on Saturday and then from then on throughout the season,” added the manager. “There's too many times last season where it wasn't difficult picking a bench.

“I say it all the time, every game, the 11 that start it’s not about that. The 16 for every given game who get on the pitch is big, but from that you want to get the 16 out of the 18 and then throughout the season it's going to be the 25 (man squad). The more often we can get the 25 all fit and available, I think the better chances we've got throughout the season.”

[themaclad]

Attendance: 19,391 (5,728 Middlesbrough fans).

Referee: Thomas Kirk.

About 30 minutes before the kick off the referee and one of his assistants were out checking both goal frames, seemed a bit odd at the time but would have a pivotal role in what happened right at the end of the game.
The second Boro goal came deep into injury time after an all six yard area scramble, the linesman raised his flag to signal a goal and Hansen's effort got Boro a point they deserved.
It transpired that goal line technology had been switched off, from my view ear the halfway line it looked like it had crossed the line but other pictures suggested the ball did not fully cross the line, we shall never know.

Anyway back to the match, great entertainment especially the last twenty mintes as both sides went for the winner, Boro were top when they arrived, easy to see why good passing side although in the first half let down by the final ball.
Our first is a work of art Dobbin picking up the ball outside the box, beat a couple of players before hammering the ball past the keeper.
We looked a danger every time we attacked couldn't get a second.
Half time Boro brought on Strelec, big money buy from Slovakia, they also changed their formation and began to dominate, had a goal rightly disallowed.
Not deterred they pressed on, level when we failed to deal with a ball into the box and Target was on target from 10 yards.

Looked only one winner at this stage but we rallied and all credit to Storey, a lung busting run by the defender led to a corner, Whiteman's pin point corner, Storey header far corner, back in front until Hanse's scramble.

Paul Heckingbottom was left with mixed feelings after late drama in the 2-2 draw with league leaders Middlesbrough.

North End were twice in front at Deepdale, firstly through Lewis Dobbin’s outstanding strike midway through the first half, and then two minutes from time when Jordan Storey headed home what looked like a late winner.

The visitors snatched a point, though, in stoppage-time courtesy of Sontje Hansen.

Hecky said: “I think to give it perspective, if we'd have been 2-1 down and then scored the equaliser at the end we would have been jumping through hoops.

“So yeah, we do feel a bit down, but we shouldn't really. It was a really good game. When there’s that stoppage in play we got the lads over and spoke about just going for it. We've got a point but let's try and get three.

“We did that but Boro had the same mentality as well and yeah, it was a good game with two teams going at it.”

For the second match running, Storey was named as the EPIC Global Solutions Man of the Match after a display which saw him score and assist from centre half.

The defender has started every Championship match so far this season and has been one of the top performers in the early stages of the campaign.


Hecky said: “He's doing well. Everyone knows I really like Jordan and I said last season I think he's not got the most out of himself in terms of his career. I think he can do better and I never want him to settle.

“It's alright me saying that, but now he's got Odel [Offiah] breathing down his neck as well. We've got competition all over the place, he knows that he's got to perform and long may that continue.

“He made some really good recoveries, defended his box really well and I think he thought he was a right winger for 30 seconds in the second half.”

Unfortunately, his late header didn’t prove to be the winner as a scrappy goalmouth scramble was eventually bundled over the line in the second of seven additional minutes.

The manager shared post-match that the goal-line technology usually in play was not being used.

Hecky said: “It wasn't working apparently before the game or working within the parameters that we set so we didn't have it today. It was turned off.

“I think it was available second half but we continued to play the game without it. It’s mad how things like that happen and then the game’s decided on it.

“I'm hoping someone shows me a photograph or something of it being over the line to make me feel a bit better than I do now.”

Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards told BBC Radio Tees: "I really enjoyed the game. I thought it was a cracking game of football. I really enjoyed the performance.

"No one is going to make it easy for us and no one has a God-given right to turn up and win games of football.

"Preston are good and they have shown that here with the teams they have beaten. What we did today was show lots of character and we came from behind twice, which we have not had to do yet this season."