'I'll be ready' - Noah Mawene reflects on his Preston North End first team journey so far

Noah Mawene appears to have just the right balance. It’s been an eye-opening season for the Preston North End youngster, whose surname alone brings instant attention - but not so much pressure. The teenager enjoys listening to stories from his father, Youl - who played in one of PNE’s best teams of the century - but wants to embark on his own, unique path.

Every morning the alarm goes off at half-six, with pre-training gym work an essential part of his routine. Mawene - who is now joined at Euxton by his his younger brother, Theo - knows there’s a long way to go yet, but is driven to get there. For now, he feels comfortable with where he’s at - helped by a senior squad which welcomed him from day one. Mawene has never felt daunted and the midfield inspiration at Deepdale is something he’s grateful for.

“No, not at all!” said Mawene. “I have got on with everyone in the dressing room. They are always helping you and giving you advice, so I can’t thank them enough. Everyone has got something to offer. Ali McCann is just a machine, isn’t he? Then you’ve got Alan Browne, who can literally do everything; there is nothing he can’t do. He has been brilliant with me, and my brother.”

Dressing room culture appears to have changed a great deal over the years. It’d once be a bit of a gruelling experience for young players, but Mawene has been taken under Browne’s wing. He did have a brief period of doing his bit for the skipper, mind.

“Yeah, I nipped that in the bud quickly,” laughed Mawene. “I used to have a little wager with him before games, like: ‘If you score today, I’ll serve you food for a week’. But then he’d go and score and I’d be like: ‘I can’t make a deal with the devil here’ - yeah, he’s unbelievable.”

In his first year as a pro - having signed a contract until 2026 - Mawene has made seven appearances for the first team and racked up 170 minutes. His full debut came at Birmingham City and he started away to Southampton, too. The intensity has been a challenge, but nothing Mawene wasn’t prepared for. He sees every opportunity on the Championship stage as another step in the right direction, towards becoming the complete midfielder he wants to be.

“I had a feeling it would be like that,” said Mawene. “So, it didn’t really catch me off guard, but in the first two games you want to play safe, have the boys think they can trust you on the ball - and then you can start playing with a bit of freedom. For now, you’ve got to just stick to one or two touches and let the boys know they can trust you.

“I want to be able to do a 4, 8 and 10 to a really good ability. That gives me a bit more freedom because I can do little jobs everywhere. At Birmingham, it should’ve ended nil-nil. It could’ve gone either way, but I didn’t mind it being a scrappy game - I could keep it simple and cover the distance. And then Southampton, the team speaks for itself and the way they play is so difficult.”

North End’s number 35 is his own harshest critic, but knows he mustn’t go too hard on himself at this point. The jump from U19 Youth Alliance football to the second tier is an almighty one and expecting to Mawene to be the finished article, already, would be unfair. Time will ultimately tell whether he can continue to improve and establish himself in the first team, but it certainly won’t be for a lack of dedication or drive.

“I don’t really give myself a lot of praise, to be fair,” said Mawene. “I will always focus on the other side, of how I can be better - because I know, in the end, that will make me a better player and person. I am good at putting my hand on my heart and saying something is my fault, but maybe I do it a bit too often! I’ve not thought about a loan or anything. I’ll have to assess next year when it comes around... I have not really got any interest in going out, because I’ve loved every minute here. But anything can change in football; I’ll be ready for whatever happens.”