David Cornell

David Cornell is a 35-year-old Welsh goalkeeper currently on the books at Preston North End in the EFL Championship. A veteran shot-stopper with experience across the Football League, Cornell has made seven appearances in the 2025/26 season, accumulating 630 minutes and carrying a season rating of 6.97, which reflects a steady if unspectacular contribution between the sticks.

Cornell has not featured as a starter in any of Preston's last five matches, suggesting he has dropped to second choice in the goalkeeping pecking order during this period. Those five fixtures have been a difficult run for the club, with Preston conceding nine goals across the games and picking up only one win, a 2-1 victory at Charlton. The 3-0 defeat at Coventry and a 2-0 loss at Norwich underline a spell in which Preston's defensive record has come under pressure regardless of who has been in goal.

At 35, Cornell represents experienced cover rather than a first-choice option at this stage of his career, and his role at Deepdale appears to be that of a reliable backup who keeps the squad competitive in training and provides cover in case of injury or suspension. His Carabao Cup winner's medal, earned earlier in his career, speaks to the level he has operated at, and Welsh goalkeepers of his generation have generally had to be patient given the competition for places both at club and international level.

Should Cornell return to the starting lineup, the key areas to observe will be his distribution under pressure and his command of the penalty area, particularly given Preston's recent vulnerability to conceding in bunches. SportSignals' AI analysis engine has tracked Preston's recent matches as part of its Championship coverage, and the defensive patterns across this run will be worth monitoring if Cornell gets a recall.