How Preston North End became the last surviving EFL Side in the FA Cup

As the FA Cup competition begins to whittle down to a close and big names such as Newcastle United and Manchester United are knocked out, Championship side Preston North End have batted off all their challenges and have made it to the quarter finals of the tournament.

Before the fifth round of the tournament kicked off, The North End were amongst good company as their were five teams representing the Championship facing off against the Premier League teams. Their fellow Championship side Plymouth Argyle did a massive favour for their competitors after completing a miraculous victory over the bookies FA Cup favourites Liverpool in the fourth round of the tournament.

Preston North End: How they made it this far

Although they continue their FA Cup campaign, their Championship run has be less than desirable as they currently sit mid table in 15th position while ranked sixth for least goals scored this season. With no focus on attacking a promotion spot or the need to worry about fighting for survival, it seems Paul Heckingbottom has kept his sights on FA Cup glory.

They begun their journey facing off against highflying League One side Charlton Athletic, who’s point accumulation since January would see them sat in second place in the table if not for a lacklustre start to their campaign.

Preston North End were not playing to their best standard as Charlton Athletic enjoyed a heapload of more chances and held the ball better than their opponents. However, Montenegrin striker Milutin Osmajic picked himself up a brace right as the second half begun, answering Charltons equaliser at the end of the first half.

Job done! ✅🏆#pnefc pic.twitter.com/oMYiJFR8ka

— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) January 14, 2025

Moving on to the fourth round, Preston North End were met with a second League One side, but this time it was a higher quality side in Wycombe Wanderers. Relegated back to League One after spending a season in the Championship in 2021, Wycombe look set on climbing back up this season as they sit in second place although have suffered harshly since the departure of their previous manager Matt Bloomfield.

Bloomfield decision to leave came at a tough time for Wycombe as they were just under a month away from facing off against Preston North End in the FA Cup fourth round.

Paul Heckingbottom must have given his side a harsh team talk from the previous round as Preston North End were a lot better with the ball but still not their best against Wycombe Wanderers, continuing to be wasteful with their chances as the game went all the way down to penalties.

A tremendous goalkeeping display from North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman who heroically saved two of the Wanderers’s penalties leaving it up to Ched Evans who calmly placed his penalty into the bottom right corner in front of the North End fans and reserved his teams spot in the next round.

Hero of the shootout. Again. 😍#pnefc pic.twitter.com/WVkG8hsFDz

— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) February 8, 2025

The fifth round draw would result in Preston North End facing off against one of their Championship companions, as they would draw third place Burnley. While Preston North End were on paper the inferior team going into this game, just over two weeks prior to the game they managed to hold the clarets to a 0-0 stalemate in the league, giving them more motivation for the FA Cup clash.

Their forwards were also hit with some brilliant news before kickoff as Burnley star goalkeeper James Trafford was left out of the squad as Scott Parker saw fit to rest his goalkeeper to ensure he was ready for a quick turnaround.

Proving to be a terrible decision, Burnley would go on to concede more goals in this game than they had in their previous 15 matches across all competitions and end their nine consecutive clean sheet streak.

It would be a former Burnley man who would break the deadlock as Preston wingback Robbie Brady converted an inch perfect free kick which was followed up by a tidy finish from forward Milutin Osmajic who has come under controversy after an incident with Hannibal Mejbri in the league clash. Irish forward Will Keane would then find the back of the net towards the end of the game to cap off a stunning victory for Preston North End which saw them make their first quarter final in 59 years.

Into the last 8️⃣ for the first time in almost 60 years! 🏆#pnefc pic.twitter.com/lGyP11AWZb

— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) March 1, 2025

What is next for Preston North End

With their spot in quarter finals confirmed, Preston North End return to the Championship with a tough run of matches, facing off against the likes of Sheffield United and Sunderland.

Their quarter final matchup will see the North End welcome high flying Aston Villa, who breezed past Cardiff City in their fifth round clash thanks to a brace from new kid on the block, Marco Asensio. The last time these two sides met was way back in 2018 when Aston Villa were a Championship side.

Aston Villa were a completely different side as since then they have enjoyed a level of dominance after being welcomed back to the Premier League, now consistently pushing for European football and are currently facing off against Club Brugge in the first legs of the Champions League knockout stages.

Tune in on the 29th March to watch Preston North End go toe to toe with Aston Villa. Paul Heckingbottom will be hoping the home crowd can inspire his side for what is going to be a difficult game for them.