Lancashire

More stories

Weather for Preston

Sport

Watch & Listen

Latest Updates

  1. We are up against it - Heckingbottom

    '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.

    black banner that says 'listen on sounds'

  2. Kyle Walker in action for England against Senegal in June 2025

  3. A Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet at BAE Systems in Warton stands outside a grey warehouse with concertina doors and a red-and-white BAE Systems sign.

  4. 'A rare moment of hope and positivity this week'

    Natalie Bromley
    Fan writer

    Burnley fan's voice banner
    Burnley fans celebrating at Turf MoorGetty 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

  5. Generic view of dirty-looking run down houses and flats by a strip of grass

    • UK
    The Manxman ferry, which is a large white ferry, with a large wave crashing across the bow in choppy seas.

  7. Road surface in need of repair at a crossroads in Lancashire.

  8. An image of William Banks, standing in the entrance to the alley way, there is a silver coloured metal gate behind his left shoulder and a silver coloured industrial bin with a black lid over his right shoulder. William is a balding man with a beard, he is smiling and wearing blue rimmed glasses. He is wearing a green jacket over a blue checked shirt.

  9. Father and son Steve and Ollie stand next to each other. Steve has short, cropped grey hair and a beard. He is wearing a grey hoodie. His son Ollie wears a black baseball cap and a black round-necked top.

  10. Head and shoulders of Alex Rose in full police uniform standing at the side of a white police van with the Lancashire Constabulary crest to the left. He has short dark hair, a short beard and black-framed glasses

  11. A police car is parked facing a road. It has a sticker on the back window which reads Lancashire Constabulary. A blue sky and some trees can be seen in the distance over a road.

    • UK
    Jack stands with his winners trophy on the stage. He is wearing a bright yellow polo and has short dark hair. He's standing next to Sarah Maltby MHK.

  13. Close up picture of the back of a high vis police jacket as an officer stands next to a police car

  14. View of police cars on hard shoulder and right lane on an emptied motorway.

  15. An elderly man, in his slippers and brown trousers, huddles by an electric fire

  16. Caitlyn, a 21-year-old woman from Blackpool, is sitting in a bar on a roof terrace with the Dubai skyline behind them

  17. Image is a Google Street View shot of Henry Street in Lytham. There are cars parked along the side of the road, in front of various bars and shops.

  18. Image shows the late modernist-style Preston Guild Hall, built in 1973. It is a large concrete structure which expands outwards towards the top, reflecting the shape of the upper seating areas.

  19. Visualisation of rock headlands along the beach. They are long stretches of grey rocks edging from the steps to the beach towards the sea. Blackpool's coastline can be seen in the distance in the background with the tower to the left

  20. An image of Bob Asworth, who is standing on the pavement outside his house. There is a bush to his right and cars parked to his left. He is smiling. He is an older man with a white beard and is wearing a flat cap. He is also wearing a checked shirt with a collar and a grey cardigan.

  21. Pickle, a chestnut pony, in a stable with Charlotte Melvin who rescued him. She has blond hair and is wearing her navy blue World Horse Welfare uniform. She is hugging Pickle who has turned to face her and she is laughing.
Trending Now