Preston North End have published a statement telling their own fans that abuse of players, staff and club personnel will not be tolerated. The Daily Echo’s Alfie House reported the warning on Thursday. It shows how tense Deepdale has become.
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) November 5, 2026
A club at the foot of the table
Preston sit bottom of the Championship with five points from 14 games and one win. They are nine points short of safety, and Sports Mole puts them at the worst defensive record in the division.
Graham Alexander took over from Paul Heckingbottom at the end of September. League results have not gone his way since.
Tuesday brought the latest blow. Preston took an early lead against Sheffield United, then watched Sydie Peck score a hat-trick in 19 minutes. Callum Lang pulled one back in the 77th minute, far too late.
Johnny Kenny came off with a hamstring problem after twelve minutes of that game. Leo Leroy collected a fifth yellow card that rules him out this weekend.
For Saturday, then, Alexander has a limited midfield and a crowd that has already been told how to behave.
What Southampton walk into
A statement like that does not make Deepdale friendlier. The first twenty minutes will show which Preston turns up, the one that lost 3-2 on Tuesday or the one the supporters still want to believe in.
Southampton remember the other side of this fixture. Preston beat them 2-0 at St Mary’s last November, the defeat that ended Will Still’s spell and left Tonda Eckert inheriting a side sitting 21st.
Eckert’s message since the West Brom draw has been short. Saints Marching quoted him saying Southampton need to win. The league table backs the demand, because without the four-point deduction they would be top.
What should he fear? Preston’s attack has scored 12 in 14 games, so it is not the front line. The danger is an early mistake at the wrong end that lifts the stadium.
So Southampton need to start with the ball. Finn Azaz can keep it moving between the lines, and Lewis Dobbin, who spent last season on loan at Preston, has the pace to give the home defence something to think about.
Southampton’s five learnings from West Brom include a first half in which the visitors never got a shot on goal. Repeat that in front of a nervous crowd and the afternoon changes.
Score first and the warning from the club becomes a footnote. Eckert has asked for three points from a team that has them within reach, and a crowd under instruction is a decent reason to go and take them early.
Add us as a preferred source on Google