 On 15 November, Preston North End then confirmed that they had signed the striker on loan until 1 January 2013 with Elding linking up with his former boss from Stevenage Graham Westley.Elding played five league games for Preston during his loan spell, failing to score and returned to Grimsby on 1 January 2013.On 4 January 2013 Preston expressed an interest in taking Elding back on loan with a view to a permanent deal.