| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Heckingbottom[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-07-17)17 July 1977 (age 48)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Barnsley, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Preston North End (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1995 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1999 | Sunderland | 0 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | →Scarborough (loan) | 29 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | →Hartlepool United (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 1999 | →Darlington (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Darlington | 105 | (5) |
| 2002–2003 | Norwich City | 15 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Bradford City | 43 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | (4) |
| 2006–2008 | Barnsley | 49 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | →Bradford City (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Bradford City | 30 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Mansfield Town | 11 | (1) |
| 2010 | →Gateshead (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Gateshead | 21 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Harrogate Town | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 419 | (12) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015 | Barnsley (caretaker) | ||
| 2016–2018 | Barnsley | ||
| 2018 | Leeds United | ||
| 2019 | Hibernian | ||
| 2021 | Sheffield United (interim) | ||
| 2021–2023 | Sheffield United | ||
| 2024– | Preston North End | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977) is an Englishfootball coach and former player who is the manager ofEFL Championship clubPreston North End.
After retiring as a player, Heckingbottom trained as a coach. He obtained a position with Barnsley's development squad and, after a successful spell as caretaker manager in which the club won promotion and theEFL Trophy, he was appointed manager in 2016. In February 2018 he moved toLeeds United, but he was sacked during the 2018 close season after 16 games in charge. Heckingbottom then managedScottish Premiership clubHibernian, but was sacked in November 2019. In March 2021, he was appointed interim manager ofSheffield United until the end of the season. After returning to the U23s, he was appointed manager 25 November 2021, once again, on a four-a-and-half-year deal following the sacking ofSlaviša Jokanović. After getting Sheffield United promoted from theChampionship as runners-up in the2022–23 season, he was sacked in December 2023 with the club bottom of the Premier League. In August 2024, he was appointed as manager ofEFL Championship clubPreston North End.[2]
Heckingbottom was born inBarnsley and grew up in nearbyRoyston. As a child, he was a season-ticket holder at thetown's football club, along with his grandfather.[3] He started his football career atManchester United as a trainee, but joinedSunderland in 1995 after failing to gain a professional contract. He had loan spells atScarborough,Hartlepool United andDarlington, without featuring for Sunderland, before joining Darlington permanently in 1999. He made 126 appearances, scoring 6 goals, before catching the attention ofFirst Division sideNorwich City, who signed him in 2002 on a three-year contract.[4]
Heckingbottom made just 16 appearances for Norwich, including only 7 starts, resulting in him cancelling his contract with the club by mutual consent after just one year.[5] He subsequently signed forBradford City in July 2003, and was named their Player of the Year at the end of his first season.[6] Bradford, however, were relegated toLeague One at the end of the2003–04 season, and Heckingbottom left to joinLeague One clubSheffield Wednesday during the close season.[7]
Heckingbottom was well favoured under both Wednesday managersChris Turner andPaul Sturrock, making a total of 41 appearances at left back in his first season – more than any other player that year. He also scored four goals, helping the Owls to promotion to theChampionship via theplay-off final at the end of the2004–05 season. Due to an injury sustained in pre-season he was put out of contention for the first 16 games of the2005–06 season. When he returned to fitness, new signingJohn Hills had begun to make the left back spot his own. An injury to Hills left Heckingbottom able to re-stake his claim on the team, but he only managed a 4-game streak before once again succumbing to injury, this timePeter Gilbert taking his place in the squad. Sturrock allowed Heckingbottom a chance to prove himself in anFA Cup Third Round game againstCharlton Athletic. He scored both of Wednesday's goals in the 4–2 defeat atHillsborough, though this was not enough to establish himself as the club's first-choice left back.
On 13 January 2006, Heckingbottom was sent onloan, with a view to a permanent move, to his boyhood clubBarnsley.[8] He played an important part in the club's promotion campaign and win overSwansea City in the League One play-off final, scoring in the 4–3penalty shootout victory that secured their promotion to the Championship. Heckingbottom played in 31 games for Barnsley thenext season, as they comfortably avoided relegation. He scored once during his spell at Barnsley, in a 1–0 win overTranmere Rovers on 18 February 2006.[9]
In July 2007, Heckingbottom returned toBradford City on loan until 1 January 2008.[10] He played in all 23 league games during his loan spell, missing only an FA Cup tie against Tranmere Rovers through suspension following a red card in a 1–1 draw withStockport County.[6][11] A week after his loan deal expired, his contract at Barnsley was cancelled by mutual consent and he signed a permanent 18-month deal at Bradford City.[12] He missed his first league game of the2007–08 season with four games left, when an ankle injury prevented him from playing againstBrentford on 12 April 2008. Heckingbottom's place was taken byLuke O'Brien, who made his Bradford debut in a 2–2 draw.[13][14]
He played in the club's first nine league games of the2008–09 season, but was sent off in a 1–1 draw withLuton Town for two bookable offences.[15] His place was again taken by youngster O'Brien, and although Heckingbottom returned for an FA Cup game againstMilton Keynes Dons, he sufferedtendonitis which kept him out for five months.[16][17] Bradford opted against offering Heckingbottom a contract extension, and he left the club in May 2009.[18]
Heckingbottom signed forConference National clubMansfield Town on 2 June 2009, marking his first foray into the game outside theFootball League.[19] He sustained ahamstring injury in pre-season and did not play until October, in a 1–0 win overForest Green Rovers, 11 months from when he last played a game of football.[20][21] He became a regular in the Mansfield line-up.[22] He scored his first and only Mansfield goal againstCrawley Town on 14 November 2009.[23] On 1 February 2010, Heckingbottom joinedGateshead on loan until the end of the season.[24] making his debut on 13 February away atHayes & Yeading United.
Heckingbottom signed for Gateshead on a permanent basis on 26 May 2010.[25] He made 23 appearances in all competitions during the 2010–11 season before he was released on 4 May 2011.[26]
He spent the 2011–12 season withHarrogate Town, making 21 appearances in theConference North without scoring.[27][28]
Heckingbottom took the opportunity to gain an academic understanding of football coaching, to set his CV apart from other managers competing for jobs. He completed his BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching at Leeds Metropolitan University in 2013, followed by an MSc in Sport Coaching in 2016, by which point the university had been renamedLeeds Beckett University.[29]
He went on to work as a coach with professional clubBarnsley's development squad, and was appointedcaretaker manager of the first team afterDanny Wilson was sacked in 2015. He was not appointed on a permanent basis in favour ofLee Johnson, though was appointed in the caretaker manager role once again the following year after Johnson left to manageBristol City. During the latter spell, he guided Barnsley to a 3–2 win againstOxford United in theFootball League Trophy final[30] and promotion to theChampionship by beatingMillwall 3–1 in theLeague One play-off final.[31] His success as caretaker, leading Barnsley to their first cup final victory since1912 and promotion to theChampionship, led to his being appointed head coach on a permanent basis.[32]
The good form and results continued for the first half of the2016–17 Championship season, as the club ended 2016 in ninth position. Heckingbottom was awarded Sports Hero of the Year byThe Yorkshire Post.[33] Heckingbottom signed a new rolling contract at Barnsley on 2 February 2018,[34] but he left the club days later to take a similar position withLeeds United.
On 6 February 2018, Heckingbottom was announced as the new head coach of Leeds United on an 18-month contract.[35] In his first match as head coach, Leeds lost 2–1 toSheffield United,[36] and finished 13th in the2017–18 EFL Championship league table. Heckingbottom blooded youngsterBailey Peacock-Farrell as first-choice goalkeeper and also gave debuts to academy playersTom Pearce,Paudie O'Connor,Hugo Díaz andRyan Edmondson.[37] Heckingbottom integrated further academy players with the first team during a controversial post-season tour ofMyanmar.[38][39] Heckingbottom was sacked by Leeds on 1 June 2018, after just four months with the club, and was succeeded byMarcelo Bielsa.[40]
Heckingbottom was appointedhead coach ofScottish Premiership clubHibernian on 13 February 2019.[41] The club went on an unbeaten league run, and Heckingbottom won the Premiership Manager of the Month award for March 2019.[42] Two days later, Heckingbottom won his firstEdinburgh derby match as Hibs manager againstHearts atTynecastle.[43] Hibs finished in fifth position, but Heckingbottom was unhappy that the team "downed tools" in the last few matches of the season.[44]
Hibs won only one of their first eleven league matches in the 2019–20 season. Heckingbottom was sacked on 4 November following a 5–2 defeat byCeltic in a League Cup semi-final, with the team sitting in 10th place in the league.[45]
Heckingbottom was appointed as under-23s lead coach atSheffield United in July 2020.[46] After first-team managerChris Wilder left the club by mutual consent in March 2021, with the team bottom of the Premier League and 12 points adrift of safety, Heckingbottom took interim charge until the end of the season.[47][48][49] United lost 5–0 toLeicester City in his first match in charge,[50] and relegation to the Championship was confirmed after four more defeats.[51] Sheffield United won three of their last six matches, and Heckingbottom was reportedly shortlisted for the permanent position, but former Fulham managerSlaviša Jokanović was appointed instead, with Heckingbottom returning to his previous role as the under-23s manager at the club.[52]
On 25 November 2021, Heckingbottom was appointed manager of Sheffield United, this time on a permanent basis, on a four-and-a-half-year deal following the sacking of Jokanović.[53] In his first game in charge, the Blades beatBristol City 2–0.[54] The team ended the season in fifth place, subsequently qualifying for the promotion playoffs, though they lost toNottingham Forest in the semi-finals.[55]
An impressive start to the2022–23 season saw Heckingbottom awarded theEFL Championship Manager of the Month award for August 2022 after picking up 14 points from a possible 21.[56] Three wins from three away matches saw Heckingbottom claim the award for a second consecutive month.[57]
On 26 April 2023, Sheffield United confirmed their promotion back to thePremier League with a 2–0 home victory overWest Bromwich Albion.[58] Following their promotion, he was awarded the Championship Manager of the Month award for April, his third time winning the award across the season.[59]
On 2 December 2023,Sheffield United suffered a 5–0 loss away at relegation rivalsBurnley, leading Sheffield United to sack Heckingbottom and replace him withChris Wilder two days later.[60]
On 20 August 2024, Heckingbottom was appointed as manager ofPreston North End following the departure ofRyan Lowe after just one game of the2024–25 season.[61]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunderland | 1996–97[62] | FA Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997–98[62] | First Division | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1998–99[63] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Scarborough (loan) | 1997–98[62] | Third Division | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 1998–99[63] | Third Division | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Darlington (loan) | 1998–99[63] | Third Division | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Darlington | 1999–2000[64] | Third Division | 45 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 54 | 2 |
| 2000–01[65] | Second Division | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| 2001–02[66] | Third Division | 42 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 48 | 3 | |
| Total | 115 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 135 | 6 | ||
| Norwich City | 2002–03[67] | First Division | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |
| Bradford City | 2003–04[68] | First Division | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 45 | 0 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2004–05[69] | League One | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 42 | 4 |
| 2005–06[70] | Championship | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | ||
| Total | 42 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 6 | ||
| Barnsley | 2005–06[70] | League One | 18 | 1 | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07[71] | Championship | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08[72] | Championship | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Total | 49 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 1 | ||
| Bradford City | 2007–08[72] | League Two | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 2008–09[16] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 59 | 0 | ||
| Mansfield Town | 2009–10[22][73] | Conference Premier | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Gateshead (loan) | 2009–10[22] | Conference Premier | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Gateshead | 2010–11[74][75] | Conference Premier | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 398 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 442 | 15 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Barnsley (caretaker)[76] | 12 February 2015 | 25 February 2015 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 066.67 |
| Barnsley[77] | 6 February 2016 | 6 February 2018 | 105 | 37 | 28 | 40 | 035.24 |
| Leeds United[76] | 6 February 2018 | 1 June 2018 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 025.00 |
| Hibernian[76] | 13 February 2019 | 4 November 2019 | 32 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 034.38 |
| Sheffield United (interim)[76] | 13 March 2021 | 27 May 2021 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 027.27 |
| Sheffield United[76] | 25 November 2021 | 5 December 2023 | 98 | 49 | 18 | 31 | 050.00 |
| Preston North End | 20 August 2024 | Present | 65 | 19 | 26 | 20 | 029.23 |
| Total | 330 | 125 | 88 | 117 | 037.88 | ||
Sheffield Wednesday
Barnsley
Barnsley
Sheffield United
Individual
