[themaclad]

The first visit to the Racecourse since a 0-0 on Boxing Day 1999, only the 38th meeting between the clubs the first being 31/8/1970.
Once rocked up there at the end of the 77/78 season to watch them play Peterborough in a match which had significent for us,we had finished the season on the Saturday, the Posh needed to win to deny us promotion, Wrexham were already up.
Packed house 4000 Posh fans, Thoousands of home fans and a good couple of hundred from Preston. Ended 0-0 with Dai Davies pulling off a string of super saves in the last 20 minutes.
On Boxing Day the home side turned a 3-1 deficit to Sheff U into a 5-3 win, so will come into this one on a high.

FORM GUIDE

WREXHAM 6 PNE 10

Wrexham view

We meet again as Preston North End cross our paths for the second time this month.

THE LOWDOWN

Preston are enjoying an excellent campaign, with their strong home form underpinning a push to feature in the promotion discussion. Having faced us three weeks ago in a 1-1 draw at Deepdale, North End put in another impressive performance to take a point from runaway leaders Coventry City.

Despite losing Liam Lindsay to a red card before the break, Preston were able to keep Frank Lampard’s team at arm’s length until twenty minutes from the end of the match, Andrew Hughes scored an own goal. However, they fought back and earned an admirable draw when Daniel Jebbison scored six minutes later.

IN THE HOT SEAT

Paul Heckingbottom’s reputation as a thoughtful, modern football coach has been enhanced by his spell at Preston North End as he continues to sustain a promotion push despite there being substantial doubts about his squad expressed in pre-season.

Best known for his two year stint in charge of Sheffield United, in which he guided them to promotion to the Premier League, he arrived at Deepdale in 2024, just one game into the season after the departure of Ryan Lowe.

A glance at North End’s squad illustrates how highly Heckingbottom is thought of in the game, as it is scattered with highly-promising young loan signings from the biggest clubs in the Premier League. That such clubs are willing to entrust Heckingbottom with developing their best talent shows just how well regarded his coaching skills are, and he’s certainly getting the best out of them as North End push for promotion.

ONE TO WATCH

One of the gifted youngsters whose development has been temporarily entrusted to Heckingbottom is Alfie Devine, who is enjoying a superb season on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

He started out at Liverpool’s academy but was released and moved on to Wigan Athletic. He helped The Latics pull off an upset against Spurs in the FA Youth Cup in 2020 and he signed for the Londoners that summer.

He became the youngest player in Spurs’ history when he played in the FA Cup at Marine, and marked the occasion with a goal. A youth international, he started in the final as England won the European Under-19 championship in 2022.

This is his fourth loan spell away from North London, with his travels beginning in 2023 when he spent a spell at Port Vale in League One. He moved on to enjoy stints at Plymouth in the Championship and Westerloo in the Belgian top tier.

HEAD TO HEAD

Our 3-2 win at Deepdale at the start of the season ended a run of eight matches without a win over Preston, but we have to go back to October 1997 when Martyn Chalk’s 50th minute goal was the difference between the two sides.

For our most recent home win over North End you have to go back to the season before, when a goal by Waynne Phillips 12 minutes from the end of the match earned us victory.

Our Carabao Cup win in August also ended a sequence of fourteen games between the two sides in which Wrexham had not scored more than one goal. The last time we’d managed that was in the second round of the Associate Members Cup, now known as the EFL Trophy, in 1987. We led at half time through a Nick Hencher goal, but a certain Sam Allardyce equalised on the hour. However, Steve Buxton grabbed the winner with four minutes on the clock.

WREXHAM CULTURE

Wrexham's culture is a dynamic blend of Welsh heritage, industrial legacy, and modern creativity, characterized by strong community spirit, vibrant arts (like the Public Art Trail), growing creative industries (film, TV), football passion (Wrexham AFC), and an increasing focus on Welsh language and diversity, all boosted by its recent City status and ambitions for the UK City of Culture 2029 title, emphasizing inclusivity and local talent.
Key Cultural Elements:
Welsh Identity: Deeply rooted in Welsh language and traditions, despite proximity to England, with efforts to promote bilingualism.
Creative Hub: Home to a thriving arts scene, evident in the Wrexham Public Art Trail showcasing local talent and heritage, and growing film/TV infrastructure.
Industrial Heritage: Acknowledges its past as a market town and industrial center, incorporating this history into modern cultural expressions.
Football: An integral part of the city's identity, particularly with the global attention on Wrexham AFC.
Community & Diversity: A mix of long-standing communities and new residents, with a strong emphasis on grassroots culture and collaborative projects.
Civic Pride: Recent City status and the bid for UK City of Culture 2029 are galvanizing local pride and driving investment in cultural regeneration.
Cultural Drivers:
Tŷ Pawb: A cultural hub featuring art galleries, markets, and community spaces.
Wrexham Community & Culture Trust: Leading initiatives to build creative infrastructure and talent.
Public Art: Murals and artworks across the city celebrate its history, arts, and diversity.
Welsh Language: Integrated into cultural strategy and public spaces.
Future Focus:
Building on the momentum from the 2025 City of Culture bid, Wrexham is aiming for the 2029 title, focusing on play, creativity, and making culture accessible to all, says the Wrexham City of Culture 2029 website.

[themaclad]

Team News​
Jamal Lewis made his return from injury as a substitute in Boxing Day’s draw at Stoke but in the same area of the field it was revealed after the game that Andrija Vukčević has had a recurrence of his hamstring injury so is expected to remain on the sidelines for an extended period.

Andrija’s compatriot Milutin Osmajić served the final game of his nine-match suspension on Boxing Day and is now available again for North End’s trip to Wrexham. Lewis Dobbin missed out at Stoke through injury but is expected to rejoin the squad whilst Stefan Thórdarson is a doubt having been sidelined for the clash with The Potters due to tendonitis.
The Hosts​
Wrexham were involved in the Championship game of the day on Boxing Day as they came from 3-1 down to beat in-form Sheffield United 5-3 at STōK Cae Ras. The win was a much needed one for Phil Parkinson’s side who had gone five without victory and the run reached its climax with a defeat to Welsh rivals Swansea City.

A win against The Blades elevated them to 13th in the table and now just five points behind Bristol City in the final Play-Off place.

Match Officials​
Referee: Reubyn Ricardo

Assistant Referees: Emily Carney, Mark Dwyer

Fourth Official: David Rock

Reubyn Ricardo will take charge of the clash at STōK Cae Ras and although he is yet to referee a North End game this season, he did last season – the 2-1 FA Cup third round victory against Charlton Athletic at Deepdale in January where Milutin Osmajić scored a brace.

[themaclad]

https://www.fotmob.com/matches/preston-v...tab=lineup

Attendance: 10,616 (1,279 PNE fans)

Referee: Reubyn Ricardo

The unbeaten drawing run comes to an end with a defeat on na ground which was a throwback in time.The Racecourse or as they say round there Cas Rae.
Conceded two horror goals, a dwarf heading home the first, and the second coming through a massive gap where our defence should have been.
It's was a game fpor Osmajic to return after his nine game ban however that fell flat as hge was out with a hamstring strain, Potts madfe his first start for 8 months as well.
Nothing really in the first 30 minutes had a couple of chances Mads and Potts both having shots saved by big Arthur.
The home side dfended in two banks of five and we were as usual when presented with this problem to slow in the build up.
Wrexham began to get on top, Broadhurst should probably have scored when he got through, missed the target. Iversen denied both Moore and Broadhurst, but the latter didn't have long to wait for his goal, Moore beat Storey out wide right, ball into box, Broadhurst in space heads home.
Early chance for Small in the second half through on goal shot well saved by Arthur.
Smith brought a great save from Iversen,and Doyle headed wide at the back post shoulsd have scored as should Devine when hitting the side netting at the other end.
The bald liner nearly got them a second, ball looked over the deadball line, everyone stops and Smith heads against the post from a yard out.
Short repreive as Rathbone found a couple of acres of space in the North End box and it's two.
Back in it seven minutes later One two between Smith and Devine, deflected past Arthur.
Couldn't get a second, seventh at New Year take that but we need some players back slightly low on fit players



Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson:

"I'm very pleased. I felt it was important that we backed up the Boxing Day win and performance and we spoke to the lads about that mentality," said the Wrexham boss.

"Tonight was about if we could respond to a really good performance where we had a lot of praise against Sheffield United and have that accountability individually and collectively. I felt we did that really well.

"It was a good performance against a really good side, we know that, they're up there for a reason, but I think over the 90 minutes, we deserved the win."

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom:

"We weren't at our best. We had good moments where we played really well and looked a good side.

"But it was also a performance littered with mistakes and Wrexham capitalised on those.

"It was a typical Championship game, it could have gone either way. We made too many errors and couldn't capitalise on the moments when we did played well. Wrexham did."