Ryan Lowe will take charge of Preston North End for the first time on Saturday afternoon when Barnsley come to Deepdale.
Match Information
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Saturday 11th December, 3pm kick-off
Competition: EFL Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 22/46)
Kit: Home kit – available to order here!
Supporter Information
Half season cards for the final 12 home league games are on sale, and if you buy prior to kick-off on Saturday afternoon, you will get the Barnsley game added for free as part of the offer! Find full details here.
Individual match tickets are being sold as normal all the way up until kick-off – available to buy online from www.mypne.com, over the phone on 0344 856 1966 and in person from the Deepdale ticket office.
While Covid certification is not required for Saturday's game, face coverings will be required in indoor settings, such as the concourse, hospitality and the fan zone, unless eating or drinking.
Our fan zone will once again be open this weekend from 12pm, with the usual offerings of refreshments and live music, and joining us in the fan zone this weekend is former PNE midfielder Mark Patterson, who will be selling his new book ‘Old School - A Proper Football Education’.
Match Coverage
Supporters overseas will be able to watch this game live on iFollow PNE with a seasonal or £10 match pass, while those in the UK and Ireland will be able to listen live for £2.50. Subscribe here!
We will be providing our usual coverage of the match across our social media channels on Saturday, and live updates can be found on our match centre here on PNE.Com.
The Weekend Warm Up
Our new manager joined us in the studio for the latest episode of The Weekend Warm Up, as he discusses his first few days at Euxton while looking ahead to Saturday's fixture.
Watch the episode in full here!
Matchday Programme
Striker Ched Evans is our featured interview in this weekend's edition of the matchday programme, as he discusses his return to action in recent weeks following injury. Read part of his interview here.
Also in this edition of The One And Only, Joe Rodwell-Grant answers your questions, Alan Browne reflects on his most memorable game and Scott Sinclair tells us his favourite things.
You can get your hands on a copy from around the ground for £3.50 on Saturday afternoon, or alternatively order one to arrive straight to your door by clicking here.
PNE Team News
In his pre-match press conference, manager Ryan Lowe said there were a few knocks within the team, with Ched Evans, Andrew Hughes and Sepp van den Berg all struggling.
Lowe also told the media that Tom Barkhuizen, who missed last weekend's defeat through injury, and Josh Murphy are both being checked out to see when they can return.
The Opposition
Barnsley have endured a difficult season so far, having picked up just two victories from their 21 Championship games.
After last season’s remarkable push for the Play-Offs, Valérien Ismaël left for West Brom, and in came Markus Schopp, but he lost his job and was replaced by former Sweden U21 boss Poya Asbaghi in November.
He is yet to experience the feeling of victory in his short time in charge and if he’s to do that on Saturday afternoon, it would be Barnsley’s first away win of the season in league action.
Key Stats
In Cauley Woodrow, Barnsley have a striker who they have relied on for double figures in terms of goals in their past two Championship campaigns, however he’s netted only three so far this term heading into Saturday.
PNE have had a good record over the Tykes in recent years, having come out on top in three of the last four meetings, with the first of those being a 5-1 victory at Deepdale in October 2019.
The overall head-to-head record between the two sides sees PNE just about edge it, having won 25 times compared to Barnsley’s 20. The first time they faced each other was all the way back in September 1901.
Our Last Meeting
North End came out 2-0 winners the last time they came up against the Tykes in the penultimate game of the 2020/21 season.
Jordan Storey and Ched Evans were on the scoresheet that afternoon, with close-range finishes sealing a third consecutive victory.
Man In The Middle
Experienced EFL referee Keith Stroud will take the whistle this weekend to take charge of his first PNE fixture this season.
He’s certainly no stranger to North End, having regularly officiated their matches over the years, dating back to 2005.
Stroud has been the main official of 15 games so far this term, the majority of those games being in the Championship.
Pre-Match Interview
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