16-01-2026, 17:03
North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has welcomed his side’s eight-day break between matches ahead of this weekend’s clash with Derby County.
PNE have been victorious in their first two league outings of 2026 but were defeated by Wigan Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup last time out.
The Lilywhites’ boss has opened up on how useful this extended preparation has been before taking on The Rams.
“We had the weekend off, which was good physically,” stated the boss. We had one or two players needing a bit of treatment, catching up on things that we couldn't over the busy Christmas period, which is good.
“I think that little lull in games has been really important for us, so hopefully we're all in a better place now.
“We had the three away games, three overnight stays and six days in total on the coach; it's not ideal when you've got so many games in a short space of time.”
Although North End exited the FA Cup last time out, Heckingbottom is insistent that focus must turn straight back to the Championship.
While stating that it was disappointing to exit the competition, he affirmed that PNE must make the most of the opportunity to concentrate on the league.
“I don't mind cup competitions,” admitted the boss.
“Because I think they're a welcome break from a league schedule, from that same sort of preparation, the same sort of teams that we're constantly talking about.
“It’s disappointing to be out, but the plus is the game schedule. The focus is just on the league, so we've just got to make sure that we're making the most of that.”
Derby County have been one of the Championship’s more unpredictable teams this season, enjoying both extremely good runs of form and patchy stretches without too much success.
Heckingbottom is expecting a physical contest from John Eustace’s side, who have won just once in their last six games in all competitions.
“I think it's going to be a tough one; they've been difficult to play against. They've got dangerous players, goal threats, but they're also happy to grind games out as well and not afraid to win games without the ball, and sit in, defend the box well and be a real threat on the counter, so I think we're going to have to be really patient.
“If we have to be really patient in home games between now and the end of the season, then we're going to have to be and that's everyone, people on the pitch, off the pitch, fans in the stands, me on the side, no one's going to make it easy for us.
“People are going to come with game plans to try and give themselves the best chance of winning and one of those is to frustrate us and maybe take the pace and how we want to play away.
“It's something you've got to get used to because we're a team that's at the higher end of the league now and that has been the approach of a lot of teams at our place.”
PNE have been victorious in their first two league outings of 2026 but were defeated by Wigan Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup last time out.
The Lilywhites’ boss has opened up on how useful this extended preparation has been before taking on The Rams.
“We had the weekend off, which was good physically,” stated the boss. We had one or two players needing a bit of treatment, catching up on things that we couldn't over the busy Christmas period, which is good.
“I think that little lull in games has been really important for us, so hopefully we're all in a better place now.
“We had the three away games, three overnight stays and six days in total on the coach; it's not ideal when you've got so many games in a short space of time.”
Although North End exited the FA Cup last time out, Heckingbottom is insistent that focus must turn straight back to the Championship.
While stating that it was disappointing to exit the competition, he affirmed that PNE must make the most of the opportunity to concentrate on the league.
“I don't mind cup competitions,” admitted the boss.
“Because I think they're a welcome break from a league schedule, from that same sort of preparation, the same sort of teams that we're constantly talking about.
“It’s disappointing to be out, but the plus is the game schedule. The focus is just on the league, so we've just got to make sure that we're making the most of that.”
Derby County have been one of the Championship’s more unpredictable teams this season, enjoying both extremely good runs of form and patchy stretches without too much success.
Heckingbottom is expecting a physical contest from John Eustace’s side, who have won just once in their last six games in all competitions.
“I think it's going to be a tough one; they've been difficult to play against. They've got dangerous players, goal threats, but they're also happy to grind games out as well and not afraid to win games without the ball, and sit in, defend the box well and be a real threat on the counter, so I think we're going to have to be really patient.
“If we have to be really patient in home games between now and the end of the season, then we're going to have to be and that's everyone, people on the pitch, off the pitch, fans in the stands, me on the side, no one's going to make it easy for us.
“People are going to come with game plans to try and give themselves the best chance of winning and one of those is to frustrate us and maybe take the pace and how we want to play away.
“It's something you've got to get used to because we're a team that's at the higher end of the league now and that has been the approach of a lot of teams at our place.”
Why should a man go to work, if he has the health and strength to stay in bed?