"Wary" - Claim made about Paul Heckingbottom's return ahead of Sheffield United v Preston | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit has shared his thoughts ahead of Paul Heckingbottom's return to Bramall Lane with Preston North End on Saturday.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom will be back at the club for the first time since his sacking when he brings his Preston North End side to Bramall Lane on Saturday.

After having a spell in interim charge the previous season, Heckingbottom was appointed permanent manager of Sheffield United in November 2021 following the dismissal of Slavisa Jokanovic, and he led his side to a fifth-placed finish in the Championship in the 2021-22 season, but they were beaten on penalties by Nottingham Forest in the play-off semi-finals.

That disappointment only seemed to motivate Heckingbottom and his players, and he guided the Blades back to the top flight the following season as they finished in second place behind champions Burnley, accumulating an impressive total of 91 points.

Unfortunately for Heckingbottom, the step-up to the Premier League proved to be challenging, and after a poor start to the season that included a number of heavy defeats, he was sacked in December 2023 with United sitting bottom of the table.

After just over eight months out of work, Heckingbottom returned to management when he took over at Preston in August, and he has done an excellent job with the Lilywhites so far, leading them into mid-table in the Championship and the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Sheffield United fan pundit on Paul Heckingbottom's Bramall Lane return

When asked for his thoughts ahead of Heckingbottom's return to Bramall Lane, FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy, from the YouTube channel Blades Ramble, admitted he is wary that the 47-year-old could come back to haunt his former club on Saturday, but he insists he is confident of a victory against Preston.

"I wouldn't say I'm fearful, I've got every belief that we can get the result at the weekend, but I'm still very wary," Jimmy said.

"We know all about Paul Heckingbottom, but more importantly, he knows all about us.

"He's doing a great job with Preston this season, they're coming off a great result against Burnley at the weekend.

"They play again on Tuesday night before we play them on Saturday, so we'll have to see if that has any bearing on their current form.

"However, we're not the same side that Heckingbottom left, a lot of new players have come in, and Chris Wilder's got us playing a different style of football, which is ultimately a winning style of football.

"Yes, there are these ex-players and managers that can come back to haunt you, and we know that he can shut up shop and put a real tough test in place for us, but I believe we've got enough to beat Preston, and the players will believe that too.

"I think we can get closer to Leeds with a result here and keep Burnley at bay at the same time, so I'm looking forward to it."

Paul Heckingbottom deserves positive Sheffield United reception on Saturday

It is fair to say that Heckingbottom's appointment as permanent Sheffield United manager in November 2021 was not well-received by supporters, with many feeling that he was an unambitious choice by the board.

However, Heckingbottom certainly proved the doubters wrong, and after leading the Blades to automatic promotion in the 2022-23 season, he is assured of a place in the club's history.

Heckingbottom's time at Bramall Lane did not end the way he would have hoped, but it was always going to be tough for him to succeed in the Premier League after the sale of key players such as Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye following promotion, and he deserves a warm reception from United supporters on Saturday.