Paul Heckingbottom — Career, clubs & managerial record
Paul Heckingbottom
Preston North End· EFL Championship · 
England · Age 49
70/ 100
Solid
24th percentile of covered managers
Career snapshot
Age
49
17 JUL 1977
Appointed
20 AUG 2024
Tenure
2Y 1M
2 years, 1 month
Contractⓘ
Until 30 June 2028
Three-year agreement
Senior managerial experienceⓘ
2 years, 1 month
Since 1 FEB 2016
In coaching
2 years, 1 month
Includes academy & assistant roles
Season: 2026/27Competition: EFL ChampionshipUpdated: Updated todaySource: GafferLens editorial review — appointment, contract and career dates manually verified to the 21 August 2026 baseline
Career summary
- Age
- 49
- Contract
- Until 2028
- Current club
- Preston North End
- Senior managerial experience
- 2 years, 1 month
- Total coaching experience
- 2 years, 1 month
- Senior spells
- 1
- Matches (recorded)
- 104
- W–D–L (recorded)
- 29–38–37
- Win rate / PPG
- 27.9% · 1.20
Honours
None recordedHonours are listed only once verified against a licensed source.
Current spell — verified record
104
29
38
37
27.9%
GF 120 · GA 138 · GD -18 · 2024-08-24 → 2026-08-26
Current club spell only, all competitions. Previous-club career statistics are unchanged by this migration.
Career record — all verified senior spells
1 of 7 spells recordedMatches
104
W–D–L
29–38–37
Win rate
27.9%
Points per game
1.20
Draw rate
36.5%
Loss rate
35.6%
Win / loss ratio
0.78
Goals for / against
120 / 138
Goal difference
-18
Goals / conceded per game
1.15 / 1.33
Clubs managed
1
Honours recorded
0
Assistant, set-piece and academy roles are excluded from all totals. Goal data is held for every counted spell. Awaiting verified results: Barnsley (Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed), Barnsley (Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed), Leeds United (Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed), Hibernian (Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed), Sheffield United (Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed), Preston North End (20 Aug 2024 — Present).
Performance by club
- Preston North End104 · 29–38–371.20
Bars show points per game across all competitions in each spell.
Career highs
Strongest return
1.20
1.20 PPG at Preston North End (104 matches)
Highest win rate
27.9%
Preston North End, 29 wins in 104
Largest sample
104
104 matches at Preston North End
Club spells
Fully editable (database-backed) — 1 classified spell
Barnsley
Academy coach · Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed
Match record for this spell is not yet verified.
Formation: —Barnsley
Head coach · Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed
Match record for this spell is not yet verified.
Formation: —Leeds United
Head coach · Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed
Match record for this spell is not yet verified.
Formation: —Hibernian
Head coach · Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed
Match record for this spell is not yet verified.
Formation: —Sheffield United
Manager · Ended — exit date not publicly confirmed
Match record for this spell is not yet verified.
Formation: —Preston North End
CurrentManager · 2025–present
Matches
104
W–D–L
29–38–37
Win rate
27.9%
PPG
1.20
GF / GA
120 / 138
GD
-18
Formation: —Performance
Matches104Wins29Draws38Losses37Win rate27.9%Points per game1.20Goals for120Goals against138Goal difference-18SampleEstablishedScope: Current club, all competitions — approved canonical record
Tactical identity
Base shape (this spell)
Not publicly confirmed
Alternative formations
Not publicly confirmed
PROTOTYPE DATA.
Career record
- Conclusion of spell
- Ongoing
Preston North End
CurrentHead coach · 20 Aug 2024 — Present
Match record for this spell is not yet verified.
Formation: —Confidence: highPerformance
Matches—Wins—Draws—Losses—Win rateNot publicly confirmedPoints per gameNot publicly confirmedGoals for—Goals against—Goal differenceNot publicly confirmedSampleDeveloping sampleScope: all_competitions
Tactical identity
Base shape (this spell)
Not publicly confirmed
Alternative formations
Not publicly confirmed
Career record
- Competition
- EFL Championship
- Conclusion of spell
- Ongoing
- Last verified
- 27 Aug 2026
Sources
OFFICIAL_CLUB
- Senior management
- 2 years, 1 month
- Total management
- 2 years, 1 month
- Total coaching
- 2 years, 1 month
- Current club tenure
- 2 years, 1 month
Career passport
Shirts are original GafferLens club-identity visuals — not replica kits, badges or sponsors.
Methodology & data freshness
GafferScore 0.4 (provisional editorial) · tactical model 0.3 (prototype model) · rankings updated 2026-08-17. Form window: Last 10 competitive matches, recency weighted.
Updated today · Confidence MEDIUM · Source: GafferLens editorial review — appointment, contract and career dates manually verified to the 21 August 2026 baseline
Image credits
Visual: GafferLens generic Preston North End shirt — an original unbranded illustration using traditional club colours. No licensed photograph verified for Paul Heckingbottom (status: PLACEHOLDER).