Paul Heckingbottom not happy as he reveals Leeds United advantage before a ball is kicked
Leeds passed a huge test on Tuesday night when they came away from a hectic clash against Middlesbrough with three points to move clear of Burnley.
A three-point gap to third is what Leeds take with them into this weekend, and they will be optimistic of going one better than last December’s trip to Deepdale.
It’s often that we see Daniel Farke lamenting the scheduling of Leeds’ several Sky Sports televised fixtures in the Championship, often travelling up and down the Championship at inconvenient times solely for the benefit of the broadcasters.
However, the tables have turned this week with Preston on the wrong end of a quick turnaround compared to Leeds.
With Preston playing Cardiff City (2-0 win) a day later than Leeds on Wednesday night, they faced a long trip back to Lancashire from South Wales in preparation for the visit of Leeds.
Meanwhile, the Whites have had 24 hours’ extra recovery time, as well as not having to make the trek home from a long away day.
A win away from home at a fellow bottom-half side was huge for Preston relieving some of the immediate pressure, but all the focus now for Paul Heckingbottom is a clash against his former employers.
Speaking post-match, he is not happy about the quick turnaround before Saturday afternoon.
That is the only aspect of these split fixtures that I dislike. The amount of advantage it gives another squad is plain stupid.
We have been on the receiving end of that. We must therefore examine it and attempt to assemble the most competitive team possible, not just at the beginning of the game but also throughout any potential 90-minute subs, as we will require them.
I disagree, but we will have to deal with and manage that 24 hour reduction. We will undoubtedly need to examine that, even though I have stated repeatedly that I disagree with it. Players are now preparing and recovering, but we will be prepared by 12:30 on Saturday.
How many times have the EFL and Sky Sports put us at the mercy of their absurd schedule since relegation?
Leeds played four games over 16 days in February of last season, three of which were away games against Bristol City (Friday night), Swansea City (midweek), and Plymouth Argyle (Saturday 12:30pm).
It’s absurd how bad the schedule gets for every club, but this is one of the rare occasions that Leeds aren’t the ones being hard done by.
You’d hope our strength in depth is enough to see us through results like this.
