Divisive Preston North End player labelled "too safe" amid downturn in form | OneFootball

FLW's Preston North End fan pundit has identified which player divides supporter opinion the most

Preston North End have not had the brightest of starts to the new Championship season.

Paul Heckingbottom has taken charge of the first-team squad after Ryan Lowe’s departure just one match into the campaign, but it hasn't been plain sailing whatsoever for the Yorkshireman, who is battling to take his new club up the table.

The Lilywhites will need to improve following the November international break if they are to avoid a relegation battle this term, and with a packed schedule to come, Heckingbottom will be looking to get the best out of his players ahead of the January transfer window, before potentially adding fresh faces to improve the squad.

With results being a struggle to come by at the moment, there is no doubt that there are one or two players in the team that are starting to divide fan opinion.

Freddie Woodman dividing Preston North End supporters with performances

When asked which player in the team is currently dividing supporters the most at the moment, FLW’s Preston fan pundit Darren Watson named goalkeeper Freddie Woodman as one player that not everyone is seeing the best of right now.

He believes a lack of competition for his starting spot might be an issue, claiming his performances so far this season haven’t been to his previous standard, having won the club's Player of the Season in his debut year at Deepdale in 2022-23.

“I think one player that divides opinion at our club at the moment is Freddie Woodman,” Watson told Football League World.

“My personal opinion is that I think that he thinks in his head that he’s too safe because our second-choice keeper is not going to get any games.

“Freddie Woodman is the first option we’ve currently got at the moment, so he’s got in his mind that he’s going to play every game, and there's been a couple of mistakes by him, which led to us losing games or drawing games.

“I’ve always been a Freddie Woodman fan, but his start of this season he just seems to have lacked that edge.

“I don’t really know what the answer is, do we look for another loan keeper than can compete with him for that number one spot? Maybe get his competitive edge up again.

“I just don’t really know what that is, but he always seems to divide opinions.

“A lot of the fans love him and say ‘get off his back, he’s always done well,’ which he has always done well for Preston.

“But, at the same time, if you want to be pushing for promotion you’ve got to be strong in all areas and, because maybe you’re a fan favourite, doesn’t mean that you’re even going to get to start the games.

“The best players have to start all the games, and they have to be consistently good.”

Freddie Woodman’s importance to Preston North End appears to be somewhat diminished

Woodman has earned a lot of praise for his performances for Preston in the past, having been a key part of the team under Lowe in the previous two campaigns.

He’s featured in all 15 of their league games so far this season, keeping six clean sheets in the process, and as mentioned, there is no real other option bar the ex-Newcastle man, with Dai Cornell well and truly being a rarely-used number two.

Unlike other seasons though where early season clean sheets have been consistent, 23 goals conceded from the nine fixtures that weren't shutouts is a poor defensive record to keep, highlighting the team’s defensive inconsistency, as well as Woodman not keeping balls out of the back of the net.

Paul Heckingbottom should look at competition for Freddie Woodman in January window

North End bringing in a loan signing to compete for game time with Woodman might be what he needs to get back to playing his best consistently.

Competition is always difficult to juggle with goalkeepers, because you want your first choice to be confident in his position to play at his best and the threat of dropping to the bench can interfere with that.

However, in this instance it might be what Heckingbottom needs to do at the start of 2025 to stamp his authority on the side.

It’s clear that improvement is needed at North End, otherwise the team is at risk of sliding into a proper relegation battle in the second half of the campaign, and freshening up the choices in-between the sticks could go a long way to helping PNE's problem of leaking goals.