TOWN return to League One action on Sunday with a visit to Preston North End.
THE VIEW
After their midweek cup heroics at Stoke City, manager Paolo Di Canio will want his players to focus their attention back on the league campaign, something which skipper Alan McCormack confirmed to the media on Thursday lunchtime.
“The gaffer has got our feet very much back on the ground,” he said. “He allowed us to have a moment to enjoy it and talk about it but Preston’s a bigger game now.”
Having started his professional career at Deepdale, McCormack insisted that there would be no room for sentiments come 3pm on Sunday.
He said: “It’s been a while since I left but I still have great memories of the place. It’s nice to go back but I’m going there to get three points – there’s no sentimental values come Sunday.”
SEASON SO FAR
North End have had a mixed start to the new season. Despite knocking Championship sides Huddersfield Town and Crystal Palace out of the Capital One Cup, they have drawn two and lost one of their opening three league games. A draw on the opening day of the season against Colchester was followed by defeat at Shrewsbury before Akpo Sodje rescued a point at Bournemouth last weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
The two sides last met in February 1986. A 3-0 win at Deepdale secured three points for Town on the road to Division Four title glory thanks to goals from Chris Ramsey, Charlie Henry and Peter Coyne. That win for Lou Macari’s men was the first time and remains the only time the Town have ever won at Deepdale.
