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  1. We are up against it - Heckingbottompublished at 16:07 GMT 10 March

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    'In certain ways we are up against it, and we have to battle and fight. We need everyone to do that' - Heckingbottom

    Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's visit to league leaders Coventry City (20:00 GMT).

    Here are the main talking points:

    • Callum Lang has strained his hamstring whilst recovering from a knock and is unlikely to feature until after the international break. Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire that due to "his history, it would be too risky" for him to return sooner.

    • Lewis Gibson has torn a shoulder muscle making him "a doubt" for the matchday squad. Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen returned to training fully this week. He is "fit and available" so could travel to Coventry.

    • The Championship "is a hard league, an unforgiving league" which is why Heckingbottom says North End have slipped down to 13th in the table after dropping too many points in a five-game winless run.

    • He cites "conceding too many goals" as the key reason Preston have fallen away from the play-off spots.

    • Their next opponents Coventry City are "a dangerous team", he says. "They've got firepower, they're never out of it. They win games when they're not playing well because they have that firepower."

    • Heckingbottom's message to fans is "to stay with the team". "We are up against it and we have to battle and fight," he adds. "We need everyone to do that, we need the fans to do that as well.

    Listen to the full interview with Paul Heckingbottom and more North End on BBC Sounds.

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  2. 'A rare moment of hope and positivity this week'published at 12:31 GMT 10 March

    Natalie Bromley
    Fan writer

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    Burnley fans celebrating at Turf MoorImage source, Getty Images

    A rare moment of hope and positivity this week, in an otherwise miserable season: the Burnley board announced the season ticket packages for next year. And my goodness, did they get it right.

    As well as still being one of cheapest prices in the Premier League, there are two major headlines. The first is that the club are investing in youth, protecting the next generation of Clarets with a massive 70% discount for all fans under the age of 21. This is a serious investment from the board, costing what we believe to be several hundreds of thousand pounds, and succeeds in prioritising those fans who will take us into the next chapter of our history.

    The second is that all season ticket holders will also attend the first domestic cup home draws in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at no additional cost. Talk about value! And as someone who still believes in the magic of the cup, and who was gripped to the Wrexham v Chelsea tie this last weekend, this ticks a lot of boxes for me.

    Even the club's harshest critics were quick to praise the board for what they had produced. It felt, for the first time in a long time, that a paying fan was being put front and centre again. Which doesn't always feel the case in football these days.

    There is a really big game happening at Turf Moor this weekend, but it's not the men's seniors v AFC Bournemouth. Burnley FC Women face Wolverhampton Wanderers in one of the biggest games of their history.

    Just two points separate these two teams: win, and the Clarets take the advantage at the top of the league with promotion to WSL2 likely and just three games to go. As we celebrate IWD, it feels right to acknowledge the work Lola Ogunbote and the club have done to build our women's team, and promotion to the second tier feels fitting reward.

    Good luck Burnley FC Women.

    UTC

    Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast, external

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