Meet the opposition | Preston North End
As Swansea City prepare to face Preston North End in the final home game of 2023, we take a closer look at the Lilywhites.
WHAT'S THEIR STORY?
Founded in 1880 Preston were among the founder members of the Football League and won the first two top-flight titles in 1889 and 1890. North End are also two-time FA Cup winners with the first of those completing a double in the maiden EFL season.
That spell proved to be a golden era for the Lilywhites and it is success they have not found easy to replicate during their long history.
The Deepdale club have spent large parts of the post-Millennium period in the second tier of the Football League but have never played in the Premier League since it’s formation.
The closest the club came to promotion was in 2001 and 2005, when they suffered play-off final defeats to Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United respectively.
HOW'S THE FORM?
Up and down. Preston put together a six-match winning run earlier in the season and were among the pacesetters, but they have tailed off since then.
They have won three of their last 15 in the Championship, although one of those victories was in their last away game at Huddersfield.
Last time out they suffered a 5-1 defeat at home to Watford.
WHO'S THE GAFFER?
Ryan Lowe. The former Plymouth boss began his managerial career at Bury, coaching them in a caretaker capacity during the 2017-2018 season, before earning the permanent role in 2018.
Lowe made the move to Plymouth the following year, taking over a month before they were relegated from the third tier. In his first full season, Lowe gained immediate promotion back to League One in 2019-20, finished the following campaign in mid-table.
After agreeing to depart Home Park, Lowe has been at Deepdale since December 2021, replacing Frankie McAvoy in the hotseat, and guiding the Lilywhites to a 13th place finish in the Championship table in his first season at the club, before finishing 12th last term after their play-off challenge fell away late in the campaign.
In his playing career, the forward made 626 total league appearances for nine different English clubs, including over 50 appearances for Shrewsbury Town, Bury, Crewe Alexandra and Chester City.
WHO'S THE CAPTAIN?
Republic of Ireland international Alan Browne in the captain at Deepdale. A club veteran, the former Cork City midfielder has amassed over 350 appearances for the Lancashire club in his nine years with them, also chipping in with 43 goals in the process.
The tough-tackling midfielder played a large part in helping Preston return to the Championship via the play-offs in 2015 and has been an integral and influential figure during his time at the club.
Browne has also played at every level for his country of birth, winning 29 caps since his international debut in a 1-0 2018 friendly defeat against Turkey in Antalya.
WHO ARE THE KEY MEN?
There is a familiar figure to Swans fans in the Preston goal in the form of Freddie Woodman, who spent two successful seasons on loan in SA1 between 2019 and 2021 as the Swans narrowly missed out on a return to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.
Having come through the academy ranks at Crystal Palace and Newcastle, Woodman - an under-20 World Cup winner with England - the gloveman had loan spells with Hartlepool, Crawley, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen before his stints with the Swans.
He won the Championship golden glove in his second season in SA1, and was in superb form for Preston last term as he kept 17 clean sheets and was named the club's player of the season as he collected the Sir Tom Finney Award.
Midfielder Ben Whiteman has proved an impressive acquisition since his arrival from Doncaster in January of 2021.
The former Manchester United and Sheffield United trainee made his senior bow for the Blades in 2014, and had loan spells with Mansfield and Doncaster before making his move to the latter permanent in the summer of 2018.
He wasted little time making a big impact at the Eco-Power Stadium, and he was named club captain at the age of just 23 such was his form and professionalism.
His showings put him on the radar of a number of Championship clubs, with Preston securing his signature.
A dynamic player with an eye for goal, he has been a real driving force for North End over his two full seasons with the club.
Striker Will Keane is in his first season with Preston after joining from Wigan in the summer, and has six goals and two assists to his name.
A Manchester United academy product, the forward made three appearances for the Red Devils, and had loan spells with Wigan, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End before making a permanent move to Hull in 2016.
Keane spent three seasons in the East Riding of Yorkshire and scored one league goal for the Tigers before moving to Ipswich in 2019, he subsequently joined Wigan a year later and was a reliable source of goals for the Latics.
Keane netted 50 goals in 129 appearances for the club before joining Preston following the Latics relegation.
He has won five caps for the Republic of Ireland.