Preston North End

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Preston chairman Ian Penrose has confirmed the club are in talks with potential investors.

Penrose took over as chairman in October after owner Craig Hemmings stepped down.

Sky News reported on Saturday, external that US-born Saudi businessman Amr Zedan had held discussions about investing in the Championship club.

The club said since this story was published, the club's owners and board had been subjected to abuse on social media.

"We have commenced discussions with a number of parties from around the world who have expressed an interest in acquiring Preston North End," Penrose told the club website, external.

"This process is in its early stages and is ongoing as we continue to receive new approaches.

"I can confirm that we have had discussions with Mr Zedan, who we respect highly.

"Mr Zedan is one of a number of successful individuals or organisations that have made enquiries about the club. Specific comments on any approach are inappropriate at this stage."

The Lilywhites lost 4-0 at second-placed Middlesbrough on Saturday to drop down to ninth place.

They have not played in the top flight of English football since 1961.

Penrose added: "While such a transaction can take months to conclude and there is no certainty that a successful outcome will be achieved, it is the board's intention to conclude these negotiations at the earliest opportunity.

"It is of utmost importance that any future owner of Preston North End is the right fit for the football club in order to maximise the club's potential and the ambitions of our fans, stakeholders and owners."

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Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom says he cannot accept how his side were rolled over in their heavy defeat at Middlesbrough.

North End lost a third successive Championship game to fall out of the play-off spots, all without scoring as they succumbed at the Riverside.

They were three down by half-time and then had defender Jordan Storey sent off to make matters worse on a miserable afternoon for all concerned.

"The goals were all mistakes, all errors, so you're never going to win games if you give goals away like that," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We've gifted the game to Boro but they're a good side - it would have been hard enough anyway not doing that.

"But I can't accept that we come to a place like this and just because they're a good side, we roll over.

"We've shown in spells this season that we can play to those levels. Our challenge is putting a group together that can do it for 46 games."

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A new initiative highlighting the work of football club charities has been launched by the English Football League (EFL).

'Scan to Smile' will be rolled out in stadiums across the EFL from Friday until the end of January, with supporters invited to scan QR codes on posters displayed around grounds.

Each scan will unlock a short, uplifting story from a person whose life has been positively impacted by the support of their local club charity.

The subjects tackled include mental health support, combating loneliness, improving physical wellbeing, employability and confidence.

The EFL said it hoped the initiative would use "the reach and influence of football to offer fans a moment of positivity on matchday".

Trevor Birch, chief executive at the EFL, said: "Behind every club are people whose lives have been positively changed through the work and dedication of their local EFL club charity.

"This initiative gives supporters the chance to see that impact first-hand and reminds us that football truly is a force for good."

Middlesbrough have the chance to cut Coventry's lead to three points with a win over Preston on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Boro are looking to record four successive league wins for the second time this season.

Preston's promotion challenge is wobbling on the back of successive home defeats by Derby and Hull City in which they have failed to score but they did win their last away game, 2-0 at Bristol City.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten across their past three home league games against Preston North End (W2 D1), netting nine goals in those matches. Since the start of 2022-23, it is the most goals they've scored on home soil against any side in the Championship.

• Preston North End are unbeaten across their past four league games against Middlesbrough (W2 D2), while they last enjoyed a longer unbeaten run in this fixture between December 1951 and December 1953 (five games).

• Following a 4-0 win against Southampton earlier this month, Middlesbrough are looking to record a clean sheet in consecutive home league games for the first time since their first two at the Riverside this season.

• Preston have lost their past two league games, though both have come at home. They last lost more consecutively in April last season (4).

• Morgan Whittaker has scored six goals in 12 home league appearances for Middlesbrough this season. That is at least three times as many as any of his team-mates at the Riverside (two for David Strelec, Hayden Hackney, Tommy Conway and Dael Fry).

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All English Football League games across a four-day period in February will begin one minute late to raise awareness for the Every Minute Matters campaign.

The initiative will be in place for 36 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two between 5 and 9 February.

EFL sponsor Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have been working together since May 2024 to highlight the importance of speed when it comes to performing live-saving CPR.

Later kick-off times will serve as "a stark reminder that every minute matters", the EFL said.

Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer collapsed while playing for Luton Town eight minutes into the Championship play-off final against Coventry in May 2023.

Lockyer then suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch seven months later during a Premier League game at Bournemouth.

"What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Lockyer, who is now a BHF ambassador.

"Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and most of them never make it home.

"I'm here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.

"This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given."

Throughout February, the Every Minute Matters campaign will call on fans to learn CPR using the BHF's online RevivR, external tool.

"Each minute without CPR reduces a person's chance of survival, so we're urging fans to learn the skills now, before you ever need them," said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF.

EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: "The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death."

Preston North End remain keen on signing Portsmouth forward Callum Lang after failing with a £2m bid in the summer transfer window. (Lancashire Post), external

Read all the latest EFL transfer rumours in Wednesday's gossip column here.

Both hosts Preston North End and visitors Hull City will be looking to remain inside the top six when they meet at Deepdale on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

As it stands, the Tigers only need a draw to retain their fifth placed position, while a victory could see them jump up a place should Millwall be unable to claim a point from league leaders Coventry City.

But it's North End who will be feeling the heat, with multiple teams chasing their sixth place and coming off a disappointing late 1-0 loss to Derby County.

• There has been just one goal in Preston's last three home league games against Hull City, with two finishing 0-0 (August 2022, March 2024) and the Lilywhites winning this exact fixture 1-0 last term.

• Hull have only lost one of their last seven league meetings with Preston (W2 D4), going down 1-0 in December 2024.

• Preston have only lost one of their last 30 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) home league games (W13 D16), a 0-1 defeat to Birmingham in October this season.

• Hull have lost each of their last six away league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), scoring just one goal in this run. The Tigers had won six in a row prior to this.

• Preston's Paul Heckingbottom has only lost one of his four previous home games as a Championship manager against Hull (W2 D1), going down 0-1 with Barnsley in October 2017.

Millwall are reportedly rivalling Stoke City and Preston North End to sign veteran midfielder Barry Bannan from Sheffield Wednesday, but Owls boss Henrik Pedersen is hopeful the 36-year-old will stay at the club. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

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Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom says he is unsure how long first-choice goalkeeper Daniel Iversen will be on the sidelines but has challenged Jack Walton to seize his opportunity to shine.

Iversen picked up a groin injury in training this week leading to Walton taking over between the sticks in the 1-0 defeat against Derby County at Deepdale.

Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Heckingbottom challenged Walton to grab the opportunity with both hands while Iversen is on the sidelines.

"Obviously he's played two seasons up at Dundee and got promotion there and did really well. It is a big opportunity for him," he said.

"We have played him in the Cup games and it has been a while since we have played him in the first team (league) games but that is what he is here for."

Heckingbottom admitted the result was a disappointment as was his side's failure to capitalise on the chances they created.

"I thought we coped with them [Derby] well.

"They are a big side an aggressive side. It was exactly as I thought it would be but the moments we needed to capitalise on, we couldn't.

"Our best opportunities came on the counter but we never really really resulted in an end pass or a shot."

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Sheffield United striker Patrick Bamford has won the English Football League's player of the month award for December.

Bamford scored four goals across the Blades' six Championship games in December, including a double in their thrilling 5-3 defeat against Wrexham.

"I'm really happy. I'm surprised, I guess, a little bit because I wasn't ever thinking about any individual awards and that was the least of my priorities when coming in, but I think it's testament to the group and the staff and the players," Bamford said., external

"I know it's an individual award, but obviously, as a striker, you can't do it without your team-mates, so I owe a lot to them for that."

He beat Norwich forward Jovon Makama, Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and Leicester midfielder Bobby De Cordova-Reid for the award.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed he is preparing for Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong to return to the club before the end of the Championship season.

The 18-year-old was recalled by the Toffees on New Year's Day to cover for a depleted squad, but the North End boss still harbours hope that the Liverpudlian will return to complete his loan spell at Deepdale.

"I'm preparing for him to come back," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It's not down to me. You hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

"If something happens with Harrison and he doesn't come back, we need to fill that one [spot in the squad]."

In a boost to the squad, defender Lewis Gibson will be in contention for Saturday's Championship home game against Derby County (15:00 GMT).

The 25-year-old has missed 14 league games with a thigh injury but played 45 minutes on his return to action in Friday's FA Cup defeat by Wigan.

"He's trained now - when we get to the Derby game - for almost a month," Heckingbottom added. "He's in a good place, he's happy.

"You can see when someone's not considering the previous injury in how they are playing in training so yeah, he's fine."

Listen to the full interview and more Preston North End content on BBC Sounds.

This fixture dates back to the very first Football League season when Preston won both games on their way to an unbeaten campaign which saw them crowned England's first champions.

Derby finished that season third from bottom and had to apply for re-election.

• Preston are looking for their first league double over Derby since the 2020-21 campaign following their 1-0 win earlier this season.

• Derby County have lost just one of their past 10 away league matches against Preston North End (W5 D4), going down 3-0 in 2020-21.

• Since the start of November, only Watford (1) have lost fewer Championship games than Preston North End (2), while only Ipswich (28) and the Hornets (26) have won more points in that time than the Lilywhites (24).

• Derby have scored in each of their past 16 Championship matches, the longest ongoing run of any side. It is their best run of scoring at this level since an 18-game run between December 2019 and July 2020.

• Derby County have faced 75 shots more than they have had themselves when they have been drawing in Championship games this season which is the worst differential of any side when level.

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Sheffield United striker Patrick Bamford and Norwich forward Jovon Makama have been nominated for the Championship's player of the month award for December along with Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and Leicester midfielder Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Bamford signed an 18-month contract with Sheffield United earlier this month having initially joined on a short-term deal in November.

The 32-year-old has scored six goals in 11 appearances for the Blades, including four in December.

Norwich's Makama is the Canaries' leading scorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions.

He scored twice in a victory over Southampton last month, once in a draw at Preston and the winner against Charlton - those goals worth a valuable seven points to a relegation-threatened Norwich side.

Iversen has kept eight clean sheets for Preston so far this season and vital saves against the leaders Coventry and Stoke in December helped the Lilywhites into fourth place.

With four goals in six games, meanwhile, De Cordova-Reid had a prolific December for Leicester as he scored in three successive matches.

The winner will be announced on Friday, 16 January.

Preston forward Will Keane is set to join League One Reading on loan. (Lancashire Post)., external

The 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer.

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

Middlesbrough, Preston and Blackburn all sent scouts to watch 28-year-old Barnsley striker Davis Keillor-Dunn, who has 14 goals for the Tykes this season, in action against Liverpool on Monday night. (Pete O'Rourke, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.