Paul Heckingbottom made bold claim after Sunderland’s last meeting with Preston, he couldn’t have been more wrong

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Sunderland host Preston North End in the Championship tomorrow night, and it’ll be a good marker for how far both teams have come since their last meeting back in November.

Last time, the two sides played out a 0-0 draw at Deepdale, a result which helped Preston maintain some momentum under new manager Paul Heckingbottom at the time.

Since then, of course, Sunderland have managed to keep their name in the conversation for promotion all season, and the Black Cats are still right up there at the top of the Championship table.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	36	22	10	4	72	23	49	76
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	36	24	6	6	51	27	24	76
3	BurnleyBurnley	36	20	14	2	49	10	39	74
4	SunderlandSunderland	36	19	11	6	54	33	21	68
5	CoventryCoventry	36	16	8	12	52	46	6	56
6	West BromWest Brom	36	13	16	7	46	32	14	55

Sunderland’s next few fixtures will be crucial in determining whether they finish the season in style or with a whimper.

Preston, meanwhile, have very little to fight for, with safety all but guaranteed, and the play-off places out of reach, too.

• READ MORE: Kristjaan Speakman outlines reasons behind ‘limited’ opportunities for Jewison Bennette after Sunderland departure

Paul Heckingbottom wanted to be on Sunderland’s level this season

When the teams played out a goalless draw earlier in the season, Heckingbottom was very forthcoming in discussing the strengths of his own side, and suggested Regis Le Bris (and other managers) may be finding it difficult to play against Preston under his stewardship.

Speaking to the BBC after that game in November, Heckingbottom said: “The pleasing thing is when I speak to people in football and teams are preparing to play us, we’ve got an identity, a clear style.

“Teams are having to change and be really disciplined to get the better of us. I take that as a compliment.”

To be fair, Sunderland were rampant at the time and were kept at bay by Preston, so maybe Heckingbottom had a point.

But, the Preston boss also made a big claim about the Black Cats in comparing them to his side, and we know he was definitely wrong on that front.

“The bits that are really pleasing me is how we’re outperforming teams in terms of xG as I know that was a big issue for the group,” he said. But the result will always be determined by what happens in both boxes.

“Overall the level of performance has been that good. I know this league inside out and there’s no reason why we can’t be competitive with sides like Sunderland.”

With 12 places and 25 points separating Sunderland and Preston going into tomorrow’s game, it’s safe to say the two sides are worlds apart this season.

• READ MORE: Regis Le Bris tells Sunderland man Anthony Patterson to ‘learn’ from error vs Cardiff City, he’s already been warned

Sunderland’s automatic promotion dreams are still faintly alive

For weeks, fans have been saying that Sunderland’s hopes of securing a top-two spot are over, especially with how relentless the likes of Burnley, Sheffield United, and Leeds are above them.

But, with ten games to go, there are cracks appearing in those promotion rivals. Leeds lost to Portsmouth this weekend, which blows the title race wide open.

Also, Sheffield United have not looked their best for a while. Only Burnley appear to be hitting their stride at the right time, but this chaos and inconsistency at the top could still leave the door ajar for the Black Cats to prowl into the promotion spots.

It’s a huge ask for Sunderland, of course. They are eight points off the top two, and would need a monumental shift in both directions to have a chance. But, at least the Sunderland squad have something to fight for still.

There were fears that Le Bris’ side would become stagnant and find themselves stranded in fourth place going into the eventual Championship play-off fixtures.

The worst thing for Sunderland now would be to lose all momentum and fall victim to teams like Coventry City, who are in immense form heading into the final run-in. Starting with Preston tomorrow, the Black Cats need to be ruthless and ensure they are on hand to make the most of any further slip-ups from the teams above them this season.