Preston North End will welcome Adnan Miakhel from Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams to Deepdale this afternoon.
North End are back at home this afternoon with Middlesbrough making the trip down from Teesside for today’s Championship clash.
We can only hope that being back at home can help PNE get back on track after last weekend’s derby day defeat to Blackpool.
Today will also see North End hold a dedicated Kick It Out matchday as the Preston North End Community and Education Trust take steps to tackle racism.
As part of this push, the PNECET have confirmed on Twitter that Adnan Miakhel will walk out with the match ball against Middlesbrough.
Adnan shot to prominence over the summer having featured on Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on BBC.
Flintoff attempted to cobble a cricket team together from young kids around Preston who had never really played the game.
They did find one star player though as Adnan – a young refugee from Afghanistan – became a sensation.
Foster carer Elaine told of how Adnan came to the UK in the back of a lorry, heading from Afghanistan through to Greece, across to Italy, managed to get up to France and Calais to then find himself in Preston.
Adnan was granted asylum in August and his heartwarming story touched many.
Adnan became a National Citizen Service graduate with the PNECET over the summer and will now walk out at Deepdale with the ball today.
This continues the PNECET’s amazing work in recent times.
This year alone, they have provided food and drink to those taking part in Ramadan, welcomed Ukrainian families to the home game against Middlesbrough in May and introduced free sanitary pads and tampons at Deepdale.
Hopefully Adnan is given a huge welcome and enjoys his day at Deepdale, helping cheer North End on to three points.