We’re facing a club with some genuine history on Saturday but I’m pretty sure we’ll have the upper hand and come away with all three points. One win doesn’t make a season but I’m convinced we’ll be too good for them.
Preston North End. The original Lilywhites although some Spurs fans might [wrongly] make a claim to that soubriquet. The Deepdale club have a history that is almost unparalleled in English football. Yeah, Liverpool fans everywhere, suck it up cos it’s true. Proud Preston they call themselves and I guess they do so with some reason. They were founder members of the original Football League in 1888.
For the benefit of younger readers I will move on to the obvious connections, and one less obvious, between the two clubs shortly, but if I hear the word Preston I immediately think of Sir Tom Finney, regarded by no less than Sir Matt Busby as the finest player he ever saw.
The “Preston Plumber” has his own statue at Deepdale, a pub named after him near the ground and also a school, as well as a couple of other nearby commercial dedications he might be less proud of. A regular England international in the 1940s and 1950s, he’s up there in the Nat Lofthouse category to any follower of North Western clubs that aren’t coping too well in the modern era.
After Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and silent movies had passed away what happened to post-war Preston? Zilch basically apart from a 1964 FA Cup Final they lost to West Ham 3-2 after extra time. Revenge for the Hammers, 41 years on.
And then in the 1980s came the absolute nadir. Preston were relegated to the then Division Four for the first [and fortunately for them subsequently only] time in their history. They were closer to bankruptcy that Mr Micawber, but installed a plastic pitch and somehow toughed it out.
And last season under the spirit of renaissance they finished seventh in God’s glorious Championship. Not a good start for them this time around as they lost 0-1 at home to Steve Cooper’s Swansea City with nary a huff or a puff along the way. Swansea looked good though.
So who’s up next? Alex Neil or Jordan Hugill? No, we know enough about them already so I’m going to briefly recall one Chris Brown, and if readers have forgotten all about him I can only add that I wish I could too.
He played exactly a year for us after we signed him from Sunderland [2007-2008] and scored a single goal during that period. Offloaded to Preston what did he do? Yep, scored the winner for Preston against us at Carrow Road. No happy memories of him from me I’m afraid.
But in the world of right now, I’ve got a good feeling about Saturday.
To quote Tonypne44 on pne-online.net I don’t think Preston fans are expecting too much from their team’s lengthy journey to the Carra:
“I think [Alex] Neil has reached the end of the road with this team. We play at a pedestrian pace, never press teams high up anymore and the lack of bodies in and around the box when we attack is criminal. Stockley and Maguire would score a few more if we gambled a bit more. We need to play Rafferty or Fisher at RB and push Browne into midfield. All the ‘jewels’ coming to their end of contracts need to sign or we sell now. Other players like Ripley and Bodin need shipping out too. The squad needs a shake-up“.
That quote is pretty much representative of those I’ve had a shufti at.
I guess I’ll have to make a prediction so as much as I truly respect the history of the original Lilywhites it’ll be City 2 PNE 0.
Since I wrote this Declan Rudd has made an early recovery from injury and is likely to play tomorrow so I’ll lump him with Alex Neil and Jordan H as in one we know a lot about!
A good read as usual Martin. As you say Preston have a remarkable history with their high points firmly in the past. In the days when local players played for their home town club and earned pennies more than their neighbours and they lived in a two up two down they’d could draw on lots of decent players that seemed to be everywhere in Lancashire.
They, of course, were one of only three teams to beat us in the last 40 games of our championship winning campaign two seasons ago. However, I am hopeful that won’t happen again. I think we will be too good for them even though they are better than Huddersfield, another club with a great history from days gone by.
OTBC
Stay safe, especially the thousand attending the game.
Forgot to say I think we will win 2-0 as well.
Hi Colin
Your comment reminds me about an old adage from the Harold Larwood/Douglas Jardine bodyline era.
*What? We need a fast bowler? Shout down any pit in Nottingham and six will come up at once!*
I too wish the dedicated 1,000 all the best and cannot wait to join them when foootball life as we know it returns.
Thanks.
Martin, just to upset the Spuds even more, the original Lilleywhites donated a white strip to the north Londoners, who needed it because their red shirts clashed with their neighbours at Highbury.
I could have done with Tom Finney yesterday, as I had to replace the float valve in my cold water tank. Got it done, but bending over the tank didn’t do my back any good!
Ha!
Both Alex B and myself acknowledge Spurs as our second teams and I’m sure he’ll appreciate your shirt story too – I at least wasn’t previously aware of it.
I’ve never bent over a tank in my life and I don’t intend to start now. Too risky.
Thanks 🙂
Hi Martin
Yeah the strip story I mentioned yesterday in Martin Betts article.
I read a book many years ago where a reporter spent a year travelling with Bill Nicholson and doing the complete history it was a good read unlike this Amazon prog
I remember Ted Ditchburn having a sports shop on the approaches of Romford Market. If he was there he was always very pleasant and polite even though he knew we were unlikely to spend any money 🙂
Thanks Alex – I knew I’d seen that storey somewhere recently! Though I had heard it before, probably from my brother in law, who supports the Spuds. He also gave me Alf Ramsay’s biography, signed by the man himself.
Talk about full circle. It was the FA Cup loss at Deepdale that finally led to Neil Adams stepping down and Alex Neil heading south.
My favourite moment there was a Paul McVeigh overhead kick that sneaked us a rather fortunate win – I think they had a nailed-on penalty not given that day. My PNE friends were not happy.
I saw the extended highlights of their Derby performance and even before the Rams were down to 10 they looked as though they could play a bit. Stockley always looks lively and I’m not sure he’s even first choice. Scott Sinclair is a very good player at this level too. I’d not be surprised by a 2-2 draw.
My granddad was a bit inclined to tell tall stories. Despite coming from Swindon, and living in Birmingham in 1923, he claimed to have been at that Cup Final; I’m not sure he was. Sadly for your article neither were Preston – it was Bolton. And as far as I can see although Chris Brown scored twice against us at Carrow Rd (the first time after a mere 2 minutes) both games were drawn. I think it’s the second one you’d be thinking of, Holt equalised shortly very soon after had Brown scored totally against the run of play, then Wes infamously missed a penalty; but we were promoted anyway.
(It’s not that I’ve got a super memory or anything – well it’s not bad I suppose – it’s just that I have this very useful link saved:)
https://www.worldfootball.net/teams/norwich-city/21/
PS What I’d certainly forgotten was that in the second game Brown replaced the much travelled Paul Hayes, originally of this parish.
I didn’t think Paul Hayes ever played for us so I had to look it up. He was on our books but apparently never turned out for the first team.
He played for TWENTY ONE clubs!!!
Hi Keith
Cards on the table here – I very rarely Google anything as it takes an element of the fun of writing away from me but the Preston/Bolton thing was mea culpa in extremis.
I’ve always liked Scott Sinclair – he did a great job for Celtic.
And yes I remember the Wessi penalty farrago – I was there and we might well have got a draw that day, but it felt like a defeat and that’s for sure. I bet Wesley got some abuse in his lugs that day from a certain manager.
I’ll give your link a look when I get the chance.
Thanks as always.
Nice historic tribute to PNE but they didn’t play in the White Horse Cup Final of 1923. It was Bolton who beat West Ham 2-0.
Jeez Drew I feel embarrassed by that mistake mate, I really do.
I looked at the clip which I had stored previously and just quite wrongly assumed it was Preston. Mind you they are FA Cup winners – but in 1938 not in 1923!
I’m hoping our ex-physio Tim Sheppard [Bolton born and bred] doesn’t read this. He’d be as mortified as I am, believe me.
I’m off to find my conical hat with the large *D* on it.
Thanks.
Hi Martin and an interesting comment from a PNE fan re Alex Neil.
It would be excellent if we could achieve a 2nd clean sheet, but in the grand scheme of things, a win is more important and I’m sure it will help the entire squad if the final GD was > 1.
At least Buendia should return to the bench and I’d quite like to see him come on as a sub on between 70 and 80 minutes..
Hi Ed
It will be fascinating to see if Emi starts or not.
Should he not even make the bench then that will tell a vastly different story.
I’m hoping he’s in at the beginning – possibly for Todd?
Cheers
Hi Martin
Great read and you missed out that PNE were the first team to do the League and Cup double in 1889 the angural season of the league.
The Phantom Winger just of the M55 nice pub but the statue out side the ground and fountain is class.
Can never understand why the FA moved the original Football Museum from a founding club to Man C that shows money matters.
Preston’s list of great players include Tommy Doc, Bill Shankley, Howard Kendall but the real class act was Finney and as Stanley Mathews once said could land the ball on your head in a crowded penalty area but his one fault was the laces left a mark on your forehead not many will remember the leather balls with laces and how they got heavier when raining.
PNE are a proud club with lots of history and come Saturday it will be a city win 2 – 1 Pukki back with the winner.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and stay healthy
Hi Alex
A nice bit of nostalgia from your goodself.
I don’t remember the laced-up footballs but in the late 1960s my junior school used to train with mouldmasters. Horrible things like a small basketball. Then on Saturday mornings we played inter-school matches with a proper football. The difference in touch, weight and feel was incredible. Matchballs were too expensive for kids to train with back in the day.
I forgot Howard Kendall began at Preston – I’ve always associated him with Everton. And England of course.
Luckily I got to see Sir Stanley play. For Stoke against WHU in around 1966. He must have been nearly 50, honestly. West Ham went 3-0 up at half time and Stoke got four after the break to win 4-3. I’m pretty sure George Eastham played for Stoke that day but I was only about eight so can’t be sure.
My Hammers dad and both uncles were not happy on the way home.
Thanks mate.
I played with the laced up balls when I first started in men’s football. I probably would have been over six feet if I hadn’t! They don’t know they’re living with these modern balls.
I live south of Preston, and work just north of it. Plenty of PNE mates. They’re a decent side from what I’ve seen, AN knows what he’s doing there, it’ll be tough. I may even take a point now.
Hi Dan
The one I worry about is Tom Berkhuizen who is a right sided attacking mid with a good shot on him. Otherwise nobody else stands out much to me.
Selfish, greedy old me wants three points 🙂
Cheers