Chris Sedgwick column: Preston North End showed a side you need at Sheffield Wednesday

It was two of my former clubs in action on Saturday and I was on co-commentary for Preston North End’s iFollow service. I spent a couple of seasons playing for Sheffield Wednedsay after my PNE days, but Hillsborough was always a ground I tended to do alright at as an away player - during my time at North End and before that, Rotherham. It is a brilliant, old stadium with plenty of history and a big fan base - who turn up no matter what division the club are in.

But, I think you can use that to your advantage at times. Those first 20 minutes at Hillsborough are massive, because if Wednesday can get on top in that time then it becomes a really tricky to place to play. The crowd get behind them and it can be tough, but if you can weather that storm and kind of slow things down, you sometimes hear moans and groans because there are big expectations there.

You are going to get that at big clubs but, like I say, sometimes it can work to your advantage as a visiting player. At the minute, their new manager has only just come in, is changing their style of play and there might be a period of pain until he gets things going. It is a complete rebuilding job now, but I thought Preston were brilliant in that regard for the first 20 minutes.

They kept possession really well and didn’t give Wednesday any real sniff. I thought the home side had a good 10 minute period just before half-time, when the crowd got behind them and their tails were up. They had Preston penned in a bit, but without ever really looking like they were going to score. I know Lee Gregory had that one chance, but apart from that Preston didn’t look troubled.

You can see that Ryan Lowe has a way he wants to play and he looks like he’s got Preston going. The lads look like they all know their jobs and that always takes time. He has been in the job a while now and you are starting to see more of an identity. It was a solid, away performance, which is how you’ve got to be on the road.

Their away record last year was great and I think you’ve got to have different ways of playing. I remember, when I was there with Billy Davies, we had two different styles. At home, we went really high press and ran over the top of teams. Away from home, we kind of went 4-5-1 to slow things down and be horrible to play against, basically.

Duane Holmes was one player I thought Preston could’ve got more involved. Duane came to Bury on loan when he was a young lad. He has got so much ability and he has added that work rate now. I just thought North End struggled to find him at times - and Mads Frokjaer as well. They got Duane in a few times and he looked dangerous, but it can be hard finding that space.

I think Frokjaer needs to work that bit harder to get into those positions, where he can receive it in between their midfield and back four. It’s such a tough league the Championship - so demanding and it takes time to adapt to it, especially if you’ve come over from a different league. You can see he has got quality, so Preston just need to get him into those positions where he can hurt opposition.

With Ryan Lowe playing wing-backs, I think the key was going to be moving Wednesday across. I thought Preston switched it really well. They were patient a couple of times, where they got through on that third switch of play. You had two willing runners in Potts and Best, who I thought both did great jobs for the team. They both put shifts in, but Best’s quality on the day was unbelievable.

I was so impressed with him, for a 17-year-old. He has got a lot going for him at the minute, because he’s got a wand of a left foot and he can run - which are two massive things. If he can keep his head down and keep working hard, hopefully the sky is the limit for him. If I could give him some advice it would just be to listen, keep doing what he’s doing and keep his feet on the ground.

There’s the old saying that it is easy making your debut; it’s staying there that is the hard bit. You see so many lads who burst on to the scene, but it goes to their head a bit and then you don’t hear from them again. But, I’m sure he’s got the right people around him - it’s a great set of lads on that coaching staff at Preston and I’m sure they will keep him on the right path.

His assist for the goal was amazing and Liam Lindsay wanted it more than anyone. I saw some things over here in Sheffield, saying Wednesday didn’t defend it great, but sometimes you’ve just got to hold your hands up. We used to have some weird and wonderful free-kicks during my time at PNE. I had to write them on my hand before a game!

When you’ve got someone who can deliver a ball like that though... we had the likes of Graham Alexander, Paul McKenna, Ross Wallace and they could just put it on the money. If you’ve got that in your game then it’s massive, you’ve just seen the money James Ward-Prowse has gone for and a big reason for that was his set piece quality.

It was very weird for me to see Noah Mawene come on at the end of the game! I text Youl after the game, just saying how old it made me feel to see him come on. I remember him being born and Youly moaning about the lack of sleep he was getting. But it was great to see... what a story. He has got big shoes to fill because his dad is such a legend there, but Noah has a fantastic attitude by all accounts.

He seems to be really well thought of. Youly was like a Rolls Royce when he played for Preston. How we got him on a free from Derby, I will never, ever know. It is a great story that he has stayed in the area and his lads are both coming through.

It can sometimes be hard if your dad is a legend like that, but he just needs to be judged on what he does. His dad could never pick the ball up and run the full length of the pitch like Noah did in the last few minutes! Hopefully he has a bright future.

As for Preston, it is a tough, tough league but you just never know. If you can get that momentum behind you, keep a settled team and be lucky with injuries, you can do anything. Look at Luton last year, who had that style of play, momentum and they were tough to play against.

North End just fell away last year and right now, the size of the squad is the issue. I know there are lads to come back and they’re keen to add a goal scorer at the minute. Tom Cannon would be a great addition if they can get him back, or someone like that.

You just never know. The foundations of a good team are there and everyone is buying into it. They are up against a lot of big clubs, who are spending big money, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do pretty well this season.