By rights, with a ten day break since they last played compared to Preston’s four days, you would have thought Cardiff City will go into Wednesday’s match between the two teams at an advantage, but the Lancashire side are establishing themselves as the lower half of the Championship equivalent of West Brom, (who drew their tenth game of eleven yesterday) – Preston may be without a win in nine, but they’ve only lost two of those games.
Preston are also one of those sides, like Watford and QPR, that we really struggle against at home in recent times, yet frequently beat them on their own pitch – maybe having the man they were backing as our next manager in charge will inspire City to a win, but I must say that the draw looks favourite to me.
Here’s seven questions on Preston with the answers to be posted on here on Thursday.
60s. A Sandgrounder by birth, this forward had a career which only lasted around two hundred games, but his scoring rate would have been eye catching today – coming, as he did, from an era where goals were more common, his scoring exploits would have been considered pretty impressive, but mot much more than that. He began with a club not too far away from his birthplace, but he found it hard to break into a team that were among the best in the country at the time. Next, he played for a team that had recently been FA Cup Finalists, but expectations were much lower here and he made the transition into a first team regular. His third club, were not too far away from his second one and would, in most eras, be considered as a downward step, but not at this time when they were a club on the rise and, although he didn’t play too many matches for them, he almost managed to score at a goal a game. Preston then paid what was a decent fee at the time for him, but he only played around fifty league games for them during his three years at Deepdale and he dropped out of the professional game at the age of twenty six when he left them – who am I describing?
70s. This Yorkshireman was at Preston for a long time but the number of games he played did not reflect that, because he was an understudy to a local legend. He did play though in a game against City at Deepdale though which was something of a bittersweet occasion for the visitors. When he was transfered, it was to a team that seemed to be permanently in the Fourth Division (they’re doing better than that these days) and he was, again, a back up. His release saw him drop into non league football, but, not for too long as he was able to be a member of the team that played the club’s first ever Football League game a year or so later. For much of the next five years, he was a regular first choice for the first time in his career really and although, he became a cover player again, he was able to move back to Yorkshire to play in front of the Cowshed and complete nineteen years in the game before retiring, who is he?
80s. Deny camera theft initially by full back. (4,7)
90s. if this talented, but injury prone striker is remembered for anything know, it is some of his exploits with his second club – for example, he scored the winning goal to seal what must be among the FA Cup’s mopst unlikely comebacks and he scored the winner in the first inter city derby played at the club’s new ground. Preston were his first team and he went on to play for ten of them in all, but can you name him?
00s. Initially at Bristol City for a couple of years as a teenager, he dropped into the part time game to wear the same colour shirt that he would do around a decade later at Preston and ended up being described by some as the best player in non league football. Inevitably after such an accolade, Football League clubs became interested and he signed for one in the second tier. His move to Peston came a few years later and he prospered with them when he was converted into a full back for a while. His last club took him very close to Wales and his first goal for them came in a 1-0 win over Preston, name him.
10s. Dauphin’s hair loss?
20s. Scottish island meets the home of the Leopards, currently to be found in south London!
Answers
60s. Southport born Alec Ashworth started his career with Everton before signing for Luton in 1960. He then scored twenty five times in thirty league games for Northampton during the 62/63 season, prompting Preston to pay £20,000 for him.
70s. John Brown was the second choice goalkeeper behind Alan Kelly during his eleven years at Preston, but he did play in a 2-1 home defeat by City in the autumn of 1971 which was our last league away victory for more than two years. Brown then had a spell with Stockport before a move to Wigan in 1976 and a year later he was the club’s first ever goalkeeper in a Football league game. Btown played over a hundred and fifty league games for Wigan before moving to Huddersfield for the 82/83 season.
80s. Andy McAteer.
90s. Jon Macken scored the winner for Manchester City when they beat Spurs 4-3 at White Hart Lane in the FA Cup, despite being 3-0 down and having had a man disadvantage following a sending off at half time.
00s. Paul Parry played over two hundred games for City after signing for us from Hereford. He moved to Preston in 2009 and then finished his time in league football at Shrewsbury.
10s. Louis Moult.
20s. Lewis Leigh the former Preston midfielder now plays for Bromley – Leigh Leopards is the name of that town’s Rugby League team.
