Preston North End Manager Paul Heckingbottom Faces Triple Injury Blow and Advocates VAR Introduction in Championship

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom expressed strong frustration over refereeing decisions during his team's recent 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City, highlighting several incidents including a handball goal that should have been disallowed and unpunished challenges on his players. Despite being a fan of VAR as a technology that could prevent such errors, Heckingbottom criticized how it disrupts the game and atmosphere, though he feels its introduction in the Championship is necessary to ensure fair officiating. In addition to officiating concerns, Preston faced injury setbacks with key players Ali McCann suffering a broken arm and others like Lewis Gibson and Andrija Vukcevic also forced off during their 3-2 win against Sheffield United. Heckingbottom criticized the congested match schedule for contributing to these injuries and questioned the league's approach to player safety, noting the contradiction between calls for fewer tackles and the demanding fixture list. He praised the squad's resilience and the performances of substitute players stepping up amid the challenges. Overall, Heckingbottom's comments reflect both tactical and operational frustrations as Preston navigates a difficult period marked by tough refereeing and injury troubles.