Paul Heckingbottom certainly knows what he wants from his Preston North End charges during Saturday’s trip to Championship table-toppers Leeds United.
The former Leeds boss returns to his old stomping ground looking to put a spanner in the works as the man currently at the helm – Daniel Farke – closes in on a third Championship title.
Leeds United leapfrogged promotion rivals Burnley and Sheffield United as Dan James equalled a 62-year-old record at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. With only two minutes on the clock, Junior Firpo fed Manor Solomon with a ‘fantastic’ through ball.
The Tottenham Hotspur loanee then squared for James to bundle home ahead of a sprawling Boro full-back.
That was the twelfth goal Leeds have scored in the opening 15 minutes of a Championship game this term.
Paul Heckingbottom warns Preston against fast Leeds United start
So Heckingbottom – who’s Preston side nearly claimed a sizeable scalp back in December before Jack Whatmaugh’s 93rd minute own goal saw Leeds escape from Deepdale with a point – knows what to expect as the two sides go head-to-head again, this time in West Yorkshire.
“Leeds have started well [in games], that’s what I would say,” Heckingbottom begins, highlighting the speed of James’ midweek winner.
“Most of the games, an early goal. So, we’ve got to be good for the 90 odd minutes but certainly, they look to start fast.
“They play forwards, they make a lot of forward runs early on, try and get the crowd up, get the tempo up and, yeah, that’ll be no different. They want to start quick. But the moment you relax at any point in the game, they’ve got players who can hurt you.”
It certainly feels like a good omen for Preston that, in their 40 league matches so far, Heckingbottom’s side have only fallen behind three times in the opening quarter of an hour. So, a Leeds team who start fast versus a Lilywhites outfit who tend not to make a habit of stumbling out of the blocks.
An unstoppable force, as they say, versus a immovable object.
Heckingbottom backs Preston to create chances on Elland Road return
Heckingbottom, who coached Leeds prior to the Marcelo Bielsa revolution, also knows that a first league win at Elland Road since that staggering 6-4 triumph in 2010 would pretty much guarantee that Preston are safe from relegation heading into the final four matches of the campaign.
He wants his charges not only to keep Leeds’ dangermen at arms length but also to pose a threat at the other end. Militun Osmajic and Emil Riis, meanwhile, are two forwards capable of terrorising any backline on their day.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 41 | 24 | 13 | 4 | 80 | 28 | 52 | 85 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 41 | 23 | 16 | 2 | 55 | 12 | 43 | 85 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 41 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 56 | 31 | 25 | 83 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 41 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 57 | 37 | 20 | 76 |
On the other side of the coin, Farke is under pressure to make a decision with Joel Piroe after another forgettable showing from Leeds’ top scorer in midweek.
Farke lauded Patrick Bamford after another impressive cameo against Middlesbrough. Could the veteran be rewarded with a rare start?
“You go away from home, you’ve got to be good. Things have to go your way at times,” theformer Barnsley and Sheffield United coach Heckingbottom adds.
“You’ve got to defend well, be clinical, brave [but] still get on the ball and try create things. And that’s our challenge.
“I think the mentality of just sitting in, we know you’ve got to do that, but you’ve got to be brave enough and good enough to take the sting out of the game with the ball and create chances as well.”
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