Before the Luton match, Preston announces Paul Heckingbottom as their new manager.

Preston North End have announced Paul Heckingbottom as their new manager, with his first clash coming against Luton Town this weekend.

Heckingbottom signed a contract of undisclosed length to take charge at Deepdale, where he succeeds Ryan Lowe after Preston elected to part company with their previous boss following their opening day defeat to Sheffield United.

The Lilywhites’ first game with Heckingbottom will be Preston’s match against Luton at Deepdale, which takes place on Saturday at 3pm.

The arrangement will see Heckingbottom joined at Preston by his former assistant manager Stuart McCall, who previously enjoyed three spells as manager of Bradford City and spells with Rangers, Motherwell and Scunthorpe.

Heckingbottom returns to management for the first time since leaving Sheffield United. The 47-year-old managed to lead the Blades to promotion from the Championship in the 2022/23 season but was sacked in December 2023 with the Blades bottom of the Premier League table.

The new Preston boss told the club’s official website that he was eager to get going and try to build the club into a competitive team in the Championship.

He said, “I’m really delighted with it, ready to go, and champing at the bit really. It’s a club I know well for lots of reasons and a league I know well, so it was a pretty easy decision.

“Experience is key. Knowing the players helps, and then having success in this league helps, so we know what it takes to compete. We know what it takes to do well and you can give that clear direction to try and get there, and that’s the aim.

“The short-term goals are to get back on track. Longer term, we want to be a really, really competitive team in this league.

“We want to play in a way the fans can enjoy and in a way that gets the best out of the players, and when you get that it can be really powerful.”