Preston North End hit the road to take on Hull City this afternoon and that means a reunion with former loanee Liam Delap.
North End suffered heartbreak in midweek as Southampton snatched a last-gasp draw at Deepdale.
That’s now six games without a win for PNE, but the level of performance on Wednesday night will have left fans encouraged.
Ryan Lowe’s side couldn’t find a win in two home games but now head away from Deepdale in search of three points.
North End take on Hull City this afternoon and will be wary of being haunted by striker Liam Delap…
Liam Delap in fine form after leaving PNE
Delap joined North End on loan back in January after a disappointing spell with Stoke City.
Highly-rated at Manchester City, Delap was looking to get back on track at PNE but it just never happened.
Delap managed just one goal in 15 outings for North End, ultimately settling for a bench role for most of his time at Deepdale.
The 20-year-old did seem to pick up some momentum towards the end of the season but North End didn’t move to extend Delap’s loan.
Instead, Delap joined Hull and has been impressing under Liam Rosenior.
Delap has scored four times in 13 outings for Hull and has been hailed as a ‘threat’ at all times by boss Rosenior.
The Tigers will be looking to Delap for goals today; he has scored in each of his last two outings, scoring more for Hull in the last week than he did in months at PNE.
There has always been talent in Delap but loans can be difficult for young players.
We have seen that at North End over the years with players like Josh King, Andy Carroll, Stephy Mavididi and Lukas Nmecha all going on to much better things.
Delap may be in a similar boat; he is playing regularly and seems to be playing with more confidence than he did with PNE.
Delap would no doubt love a goal against North End today but Lowe and the PNE back line, who already know the City youngster well, will be looking to end goalscoring run.