Brad PottsBrad Potts
Brad Potts | CameraSport - Alex Dodd
PNE drew 1-1 at Sunderland on Tuesday night
Preston North End have been dealt a fresh injury blow to midfielder Brad Potts.
Towards the end of Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland, the number 44 had to be withdraw from the contest having started the match in attacking midfield. It was a familiar issue for Potts, who has been a regular once again this season and made 34 appearances across all competitions.
Post-match, Heckingbottom said: “Pottsy’s done his hamstring. He just flagged it up so we had to make that change - we knew it was our last sub. We were thinking about Ched (Evans) but we'd done the subs and Potts said he’d done my hamstring. That's what I said, that was my insistence.
“They were trying to stop us and we'd have had to play with 10 men for the last 20 minutes. But you can make the sub until the ball's back in play. They weren't accepting the the board, so they almost got the ball back in play. But the rules are we can make it until it’s back in play so yeah, just terrible.”
“That’s more precautionary.”
There was a flurry of players going down in the closing stages at the Stadium of Light and another player who made way was Aston Villa loan man Kaine Kesler-Hayden. The energetic full back had already received treatment once in the half.
“He's been managing his hamstring, cramping a little bit,” said Heckingbottom. “A little bit of fatigue, he's never played as much as this but that's more precautionary.”
Elsewhere, Milutin Osmajic was missing again afterbeing left out of last weekend’s trip to Sheffield United with a reported hip issue. The Montenegro international was alsoin court on Monday but Heckingbottom expects to have him available on Saturday to face Portsmouth.
Mads Frokjaer returned to the squad at Sunderland after a couple of weeks out while Jordan Storey is said to be getting closer - an update will be provided on his chances for Saturday in Thursday’s pre-match press conference. Ali McCann and Jack Whatmough remain sidelined.