19. Deepdale-Preston North End

Preston North End 4-3 Crystal Palace
Football League Championship
23.10.10


Ground: Deepdale
Admission: Adults: from £25 Children: £5.00
Programme: £3
Attendance: 10,116
Capacity: 23,408
Seated: 23,408
Covered: 23,408
Town: Preston, Lancashire
Club shop: Yes
Floodlights: Yes
Step: 2

Preston is a large town sitting in the heart of Lancashire. In 2008 the town had a population of 114,300 which doesn't really reflect the support of the football team. The town has historic evidence of the Romans, with roads running to camps through the settlement. Preston also played its role in the Industrial Revolution with Textile manufacturing bringing in a large income. If you're visiting Preston for the day then a good place to start would be the Harris Museum and Art Gallery (free) in the Market square. This contains a wide range of decorative art and explores the story of Preston. Winckley square was once the home of the richest Cotton magnates. Beyond here there is Avenham Park a beautifully landscaped Victorian park.
Trains run directly to Preston from: Manchester Airport, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Blackpool, Colne, York, London and Ormskirk.

Preston North End were founded in 1880. They finished unbeaten in both the league and FA Cup in 1888-1889. The last trophy they won was the FA Cup way back in 1938. However over time Preston slipped down the football league system ending up in the 4th division in 1985.
In 1995 they were promoted from division 3 and David Moyes became manager. In 2000 they were promoted from division 2. In the 2000s Preston reached the play offs on two occasions, losing out in the semis and final once. Since then Preston have been yo-yoing between the top and bottom of the Championship, currently in relegation danger.



Deepdale is a very old stadium with Preston North End playing their first game there in 1878. The side were founded from North End Sports club in the 1870s.
The West Paddock was built in the 1890s as a way of raising spectators. Into the 1900s, Preston received attendances of over 10,000 so it was obvious the ground had to be made bigger. The Spion Kop was built behind one goal in 1921. The Town End was then built behind the oppositew goal. This was destroyed in a fire 5 years after completion. In 1938 a record attendance of 42,684 saw the game against Arsenal. Between the 1960s and 1980s, roofs were put over the stands and seating was installed in some of the stands. In 1995 the West Stand was demolished and replaced by the 8,000 capacity Tom Finney Stand. Both ends were then redeveloped over the next decade. The East terrace closed in 2006 (not the upper seating) and was demolished a year later. The Invincibles Pavilion opened in 2008 to give Deepdale its new improved capacity.

As usual we were late arriving at the game, dashing to the ticket office to purchase our tickets. As we bought them we overhead police telling one of the ticket staff not to sell a nearby drunk a ticket. We entered the stadium and soon founbd our seats. Preston took an early lead before Palace equalised. However the home side soon regained their lead before half time. During the interval we observed the group in front of us do a coin trick, however I eventually lost interest and turned my attention to the ground. We were located in the North East section of the stadium. This contains a couple of thousand navy blue plastic seats for away supporters. The other half of the stand is the same. The side to the left contains a few thousand seats. The opposite end has about 4,500 seats. The stand to the right has 7,000 seats and formerly contained the National Football Museum. All stands have cantelivier roofs. Preston went 3-1 up in the second half before adding a fourth not long afterwards. Palace then scored a penalty before putting one in off the post to set up a nervy finish. Certainly a good ground to visit in the football league, especially with its interesting history.