History of Preston North End F.C.

Preston North End Football Club is an English football club in Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the second tier of English league football, Championship. They were a founder member of the English Football League in 1888 and were the first English football champions.

In the past Preston enjoyed significant success, being the first winners of "The Double" in English football. In 1888–89 Preston became the only team to go throughout an entire season unbeaten in both the league and FA Cup – only Arsenal F.C., in 2003–04, have managed to have an unbeaten season in the top division since. They were league champions again the following season, but have not won the title since. Their last major trophy was an FA Cup triumph in 1938.

Origins

Preston North End were founded as a cricket club in 1863,^[1] although it would take fifteen years^[1] after the formation of the club in its original form before their first football match.

The cricket team played their first game in the summer of 1863 at 'The Marsh', a strip of land next to the River Ribble in Ashton; it has been reported they were known for a short period of time as Preston Nelson, but Nelson and North End have played on the same day giving huge doubts to this fact. The club soon adopted the suffix 'North End' as they were based in the north end of Preston.

The club's move to the Deepdale area of the town dates back to January 1875, when land at Deepdale Farm was used.^[1] At this point, North End adopted rugby union as a second sport in an attempt to attract enough spectators to offset the heavy costs of the cricketers.

This proved a failed experiment. By this time, rival side Preston Grasshoppers had been in existence for a number of years, and it proved impossible to compete with the two or three thousand spectators they managed to attract each week.

However, prompted by the success of the sport in East Lancashire, the club gradually adopted association football, and on 5 October 1878 they played their first match, losing 1-0 to Eagley F.C.^[1] In May 1880 they made the decision to permanently adopt the association code. The club played ten games that season, including one against Blackburn Rovers on 26 March 1881. It is reported that Preston were beaten 16-0. Preston North End still played cricket during the summer months.

Rise of the Invincibles (1880–1890)

Over the next few years, North End's ground at Deepdale gradually improved its facilities and increased in size. Association football had become a major attraction in the town, and the man at the helm of the club, Major William Sudell,^[2] had a clear vision of how to make Preston North End the supreme side of the entire country.

Sudell's plan was to 'import' top players from other areas, primarily Scotland - which provided talent for many English clubs of the time in the form of the Scotch Professors, rather than rely on local talent like other clubs. The identity of the club's first Scottish player was James McDade who "turned up in Preston and began to educate the locals".^[3] He travelled South from the Neilston area of Glasgow and was living in Preston in 1881. At the outset he was one of the club's best players, he turned out in the team against Astley Bridge in November 1880 and was a member of the team through 1881 and 1882. Since he was coming to the end of his career his main influence was as North End's first coach and strategist.^[3] Other Scots were to follow and they were to be rewarded by being paid match fees and being 'accommodated' with highly paid work in the Preston area, a practice which was not uncommon among the Lancashire clubs.^[4]

This led to accusations of professionalism from Preston's rivals. In 1884 for instance, Upton Park, who arrived at Deepdale for a FA Cup tie, complained to the Football Association that their opponents had fielded a team packed with Scottish professionals. North End withdrew from the tournament, but a threat from thirty-six northern teams to break away and form a rival football association forced the FA to legalise professionalism in 1885.^[5]

This period saw the arrival of 'The Invincibles'; mostly recruited from north of the border as was the case with Nick Ross, his younger brother Jimmy Ross, David Russell, John Goodall and Geordie Drummond. There were some local players, such as full back Bob Holmes and winger Fred Dewhurst.

During this time, North End beat Hyde 26-0 in the first round of the FA Cup in 1887-88 – which to this day remains an English first-class football record.^[6]

The Football League was founded in 1888; North End were one of the founder members and went on to make history. In the League's first season (1888-89), North End were inaugural league champions, achieving the feat without losing a match. On top of this, they completed the league and cup 'Double', winning the FA Cup without conceding a single goal, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 in the final. Preston were the first club to achieve the league and cup "Double" and they did so with a majority of their team being made up of "Scotch Professors" - as the professional Scottish players of the time were known.

In 1889-90 Sudell's team repeated the feat in the League, but it wasn't long before rival teams improved. Despite many close calls, North End would never match The Invincibles' feat by winning the Football League Championship again.

Pre-War problems (1891–1915)

Despite the Invincibles team being gradually dismantled, Preston continued to perform well in the league, finishing runners-up first to Everton and then twice in succession to Sunderland. In 1892-93 a second division was initiated, along with the first ever promotion/relegation 'play-off' system. This meant that the top three in Division Two would each play a one-off 'test match' against a team finishing in the bottom three in the top flight.

In 1893-94 Preston plummeted down the league to finish third from bottom (14th), requiring them to beat Notts County in the end-of-season test match to retain their top-flight status. This they did, defeating the Magpies 4-0 at Deepdale.

This era saw the transfer of some of the club's better players. Nick Ross signed for Everton, John Goodall went to Derby County and Thomson to Wolves.

However, two more significant events were rather more tragic for the club. First, in 1893 William Sudell lost his control of the club and it was established as a limited liability company.

Then two of the legendary Invincibles died at early ages. Firstly, Nick Ross, who had returned to Deepdale from Everton after only one year, succumbed to Tuberculosis. Then, Fred Dewhurst died.

North End were finally relegated in 1901. They bounced back in 1904 however, finishing as runners-up to Liverpool in 1906. This yo-yo journey continued however, with them being relegated again in 1912, bouncing straight back up as champions, being relegated in 1914 and promoted again in 1915.

The club's Deepdale ground continued to prosper, and attendances increased several times over. Some of the players who entertained these crowds included centre-half Joe McCall, Peter McBride (who is second only to Alan Kelly Sr. in the list of North End's record league appearance makers with 443) and winger Dickie Bond.

The onset of World War I in 1914 brought a temporary halt to football in the country, with many players enlisting to aid the war effort. Indeed, a Footballers' Battalion was formed in December 1914 and grounds were used as volunteering points.

Between the Wars (1919–1939)

Despite the fact that several regional competitions ran during the First World War, it was not until September 1919 that English league football returned.

North End struggled for the most part of the inter-war period, with the club finishing first 19th and then 16th for three consecutive seasons before finally being relegated in 1924-25.

Relegation coincided with the man who had been at the helm of the club, James Isherwood Taylor, being banned from the club by the FA after he had made illegal approaches for players, although he returned in 1925. Taylor arrived on the board in 1912, and became an increasingly influential figurehead at Deepdale, at a time when many other clubs were beginning to employ specialist team managers.

Despite lean times in the league, North End very nearly experienced glory in the FA Cup. After reaching the semi-finals in 1921, they went one better a year later by qualifying to face Huddersfield Town in the final at Stamford Bridge - the last one before the opening of Wembley Stadium. In a poor game, Billy Smith was felled on the edge of the North End box, and despite fierce protests, the referee signalled for a spot-kick. Smith converted, despite the best efforts of bespectacled goalkeeper J.F. Mitchell to put him off by jumping up and down on his line. The cup was lost.

Unlike before the war, North End found it extremely difficult to bounce back to the top flight. In their first season in League Division Two they finished 12th, followed by 6th, 4th, 13th, 16th, 7th, 13th and 9th, before they finally returned to Division One, finishing runners-up behind Grimsby Town in 1933-34.

At many points during the club's nine seasons in Division Two, relegation seemed quite likely. However, Taylor averted this potential disaster by signing two forwards from Tottenham Hotspur in the shape of Ted Harper and Arthur Rowley in the winter of 1931. In 1932-33, Harper scored 37 goals, a club record which still stands.

During this period, Taylor also made some notable improvements to the ground. The Pavilion Stand was opened in 1934, housing offices, dressing rooms, boardroom and guest rooms.

On the pitch, the policy of signing players from north of the border continued - Jimmy Milne and Bill Shankly would both prove great servants to the club. With this new injection of talent, Preston once again began to prosper - performing admirably in the First Division and reaching the FA Cup final in 1938.

Again, the opponents were Huddersfield Town, with the outcome again decided by a penalty, George Mutch firing into the roof of the net after being unfairly challenged by Terriers defender Alf Young in the last minute of extra time. This was the last time North End won a major domestic trophy. with the cup winning team and the emergence of a plethora of talent through their two junior sides. One of those talents was Tom Finney.

Finney era (1946–1960)

Although football continued through the war, Tom Finney was 24 years old when he made his official league debut for North End. However, many of the older Lilywhites' players had retired, having been deprived of eight years of their careers. Three North End players, Jack Owen, Percival Taylor and David Willacy were killed during the war.

Despite the setback of relegation in 1949, they bounced back within two seasons, setting themselves up for a prosperous time in the 1950s. However, they failed to win any further major domestic honours despite coming close on several occasions.

Much is made of Finney's unstinting loyalty to the club and town, but in 1952 North End came agonisingly close to losing their greatest-ever player. English players moving to play abroad had hitherto been unheard of, but the decision of England international Neil Franklin to sign for Bogotá in Colombia in 1950 suggested that First Division stars were indeed attainable.

With this in mind, the Italian club Palermo offered Finney a signing on fee of £10,000, a basic salary of £130 per month, bonuses, a villa and a car. The signing on fee alone represented around ten years of earnings in English football. Finney urged the board to consider allowing him to speak to them, but his request was rejected.

Despite this, Finney continued to play for the club, and the following year he almost reaped his reward. With two games remaining of the 1952/53 season, North End were locked in a three-way title battle with Arsenal and Wolves. As Wolves lost form at the crucial moment, Preston defeated the Gunners 2-0 at Deepdale.

After another win over Derby County in midweek, it all came down to Arsenal's match against Burnley on the Friday. Arsenal won 3-2, pipping the Lilywhites to the First Division championship by a slender 0.1 of a goal.

A devastated North End managed to bounce back the following season, however. Despite finishing eleventh in the league, they reached the FA Cup final, where they would face West Bromwich Albion. and lost 3-2.

At one stage in the Wembley showpiece, North End led 2-1 thanks to goals from Angus Morrison and Charlie Wayman. A penalty conceded by Tommy Docherty and a late goal from Frank Griffin who slipped the ball under goalkeeper George Thompson turned the game, and for the second time in two seasons Preston were English football's nearly men.

For the rest of the decade the team never managed to quite aspire to these heights, but the Tom Finney-inspired outfit entertained crowds up and down the country with fast, attacking football.

In 1960, with injuries beginning to get the better of him, Finney made the decision to retire. He played his last game in front of almost 30,000 supporters after a 2-0 victory over Luton Town. Fears that the end of Finney's playing career would prompt a downturn in the club's fortunes proved justified when they were relegated the following season. Preston North End have not returned to the top flight of English football since.

Beginning of the decline (1961–1981)

As Dave Russell points out in his book Preston North End: 100 Years in the Football League,^[7] one event took place in this period which would make it virtually impossible for North End to find the wages to compete with the elite in attracting top players. In 1960, the PFA, led by Jimmy Hill voted overwhelmingly to go on strike in an attempt to see the abolition of the maximum wage. When the Football League finally relented, wages increased greatly, and young players developed by the smaller clubs as a way around this difficulty were lured away or sold in order to reduce debts.

However, North End still managed to reach the FA Cup Final in 1964. Their opponents this time were to be West Ham United, who contained future World Cup winners Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. Considering the Lilywhites' Second Division status, they started the game as clear underdogs. Despite this, and containing the youngest player in FA Cup Final history in seventeen-year-old Howard Kendall, Jimmy Milne's side looked the likely winners for long periods, taking the lead twice through Doug Holden and Alex Dawson. However West Ham proved too strong in the end and a last-minute winner by Ronnie Boyce saw the Londoners home 3-2.^[8]

Following the cup final defeat, the sales of Kendall, Dawson and Dave Wilson saw the club relegated to the Third Division for the first time in its history in 1970 after a defeat by local rivals Blackpool, who in the process confirmed their own promotion.

New manager Alan Ball ensured that North End bounced straight back up as champions. Promotion was secured after Easter with a Ricky Heppolette goal in a 1-0 victory over the then-leaders Fulham.

The rest of the 1970s saw a period of yo-yoing between the Second and Third Divisions, seeing relegation under Bobby Charlton in 1973/74 – who resigned in protest over the sale of John Bird to Newcastle United^[9] – and promotion under Nobby Stiles in 1977/78, inspired by the likes of goalkeeper Roy Tunks, defender Mick Baxter, midfielder Gordon Coleman and the dynamic strike force of Alex Bruce and Mike Elwiss.

At the same time the emerging Michael Robinson was sold for a club record fee of £765,000 to Manchester City, whilst Alan Spavin retired.

In 1980/81, North End were relegated back to the Third Division in 20th place (on goal difference). Many players left the club along with manager Stiles at this time, with new boss Tommy Docherty making wholesale changes. However, they were not for the better and the events of the early 1980s would take the club perilously close to disintegration.

Hard times (1981–1995)

Docherty's short spell in charge ended when he was sacked in early December 1981 after leading his side to just three wins in 17 league games.

Docherty had brought in a clutch of players including Tommy Booth and Gary Buckley from Manchester City, Jonathan Clark from Derby County and John Kelly from Tranmere Rovers. A 4-1 FA Cup defeat at Chesterfield saw 'The Doc' replaced by Alan Kelly (on a caretaker basis), before former Everton boss Gordon Lee joined in December 1981.

Lee improved the team's results, avoiding a catastrophic drop to the basement division by a considerable margin. Amongst the players the manager brought in was loan goalkeeper Martin Hodge.

The next season, 1982-83, started with a Steve Elliott hat-trick defeating Millwall 3-2. However, North End's form soon collapsed, leaving them in danger of relegation, until a run of 9 wins from their last 13 games catapulted them into 16th position.

Following this Alan Kelly again took charge, but the sale of star striker Elliott left the side short of goals, whilst conceding numerous goals. 1984-85 saw North End relegated, shipping exactly 100 goals. The side's top league goalscorer was John Kelly with a paltry seven.

North End's first ever season in Division Four saw further reverses for the club. Tommy Booth had taken over from Kelly during the latter stages of the previous season, bringing Manchester United legend Brian Kidd in as his assistant. Despite an impressive 4-0 win over Torquay United in September, things gradually degenerated, culminating in a 7-3 cup defeat at the hands of Walsall.

Booth soon resigned and Kidd took the reins, but things failed to improve. His record was one win in 17 matches when he too resigned, leaving midfielder Jonathan Clark in charge. He won five games on the trot in March 1986, but by then it was too late. North End had hit the depths, finishing 23rd and being forced to apply for re-election.

After a successful re-election hearing it was all change at Deepdale the following year, with a new synthetic surface being laid in an attempt to bring extra revenue into the club.

The plan seemed to work, as North End, under new manager John McGrath, stormed to promotion in 1986-87 - finishing second in Division Four behind Northampton Town. The team's home form was superb as the opposition appeared to find it difficult to adapt to the new pitch, and McGrath's new recruits, journeymen such as Sam Allardyce, Oshor Williams, Gary Swann, Ronnie Hildersley and Les Chapman made them an extremely hard team to beat.

In addition, the club reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, defeating Bury, Chorley and Middlesbrough before succumbing to Newcastle United.

Promotion was achieved with four matches to spare, Chapman's winning goal at Orient securing a return to Division Three. John Thomas finished as top scorer with 21 league goals, aided superbly by Gary Brazil.

The next season, 1987-88, was one of consolidation, McGrath bringing in new boys Tony Ellis and Brian Mooney.

1988-89 almost saw a return to Division Two, as North End finished 6th, only to lose 4-2 to Port Vale in the two-legged play-off semi-final. This proved to be McGrath's last game, as the manager who had resuscitated the club began to struggle, and the 2-0 FA Cup reverse at non-league side Whitley Bay proved to be the final straw.

His successor Les Chapman, not helped by the perennial problems of a lack of funds and the sale of more top players including Ellis, Mooney and Ian Bogie, struggled to build up a head of steam almost from day one, and North End's mediocre league form eventually led to his sacking in September 1992. Despite decent form under caretaker boss Sam Allardyce, the board chose to appoint the maverick John Beck as manager on 7 December 1992.

The Londoner made wholesale changes; including laying generous amounts of sand onto the flanks of the plastic pitch. Despite at one stage looking safe, a disastrous run of five successive defeats saw Preston relegated back to the basement.

Despite Beck's long-ball reputation, he led the club to Wembley in his first full season, where they lost 4-2 to Martin O'Neill's Wycombe Wanderers in the play-off final.

The following year, the plastic pitch was removed and in North End's first game back on grass Lincoln City were defeated 4-0. Despite early promise, a run of seven successive league losses saw the fans turn against the manager and in December 1994, Beck stepped down to make way for his assistant, Gary Peters.

1994-95 once again brought play-off disappointment, as a mid-season recovery under Peters, aided by a young David Beckham, who joined the club on a month-long loan spell, ended when Bury prevailed 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Preston had, narrowly avoided going under in a climate of financial uncertainty. but they were still rooted in the bottom division. At this point they were taken over by local heating firm BAXI.

Leaving the lower leagues (1995–2000)

With the extra funds made available by the BAXI takeover and subsequent share issue, North End began the redevelopment of their Deepdale stadium and invested in two players who would play major roles in them regaining their Division Two (as it had by now been rebranded) status.

Andy Saville, a much-travelled striker, was signed from Birmingham City for £100,000, whilst Steve Wilkinson was acquired for £80,000 from Mansfield Town to partner him. Despite losing their first game of the season 2-1 at home to Lincoln City, North End then embarked on a 21-match unbeaten run, which included the 6-0 drubbing of Mansfield, in which Saville and Wilkinson each bagged a hat-trick.

In all, Saville finished the 1995/96 season with 29 league goals with Wilkinson and midfielder Simon Davey notching ten apiece. The Third Division championship was secured in late April with a 2-0 win at Hartlepool. The brand new 8,000 seater Tom Finney Stand was opened for the visit of Darlington on 16 March 1996.

Gary Peters kept faith with the majority of his promotion winning outfit, reinforcing his squad at various stages of the following season with players who would be crucial to the club's success in subsequent campaigns. Mark Rankine joined from Wolves, Sean Gregan from Darlington for £350,000 and Michael Jackson from Bury. Slowly the team that had got North End promoted were moved on, as the club looked to build for the future.

In 1997-98, a very inconsistent period of form saw the club move Peters to a new position as Director as the Centre of Excellence and replace him with assistant manager David Moyes. Moyes, who had been an excellent servant at centre-half for the previous few seasons, immediately injected a new zest into his side and the club eventually finished in 15th position, nine points above the relegation zone.

The following year, North End came close to promotion but injuries to key players towards the end of the campaign saw them defeated in the play-offs by a determined Gillingham side. 1998/99 also saw the club lose out in an epic Deepdale FA Cup tie at home to Arsenal in the third round. Kurt Nogan had sent the fans into delirium with two first-half goals, until the Gunners fought back (aided by a sending-off for David Eyres) to win 4–2.

In 2000, Preston North End finally made their return to the second tier of the Football League, after an absence of almost twenty years. Jonathan Macken, whom Gary Peters had signed from Manchester United two years previously, had a storming season scoring 22 league goals, his flair being reinforced by the team's solid spine of Teuvo Moilanen in goal, defenders Graham Alexander, Colin Murdock, Michael Jackson and Rob Edwards and a central midfield made up of workhorses Gregan and Rankine. Blackpool, who is archrival of them, relegated to basement division at same year. This means Preston took revenge from Blackpool after 30 years.

The championship was confirmed at Cambridge on 24 April, a game which brought North End's seventh, and last, defeat of the season.

Waiting for the Premier League (2000-2007)

Despite predictions of a tough time for the club in Division One, they finished fourth, again falling foul of the play-offs in a 3-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers after beating Birmingham City in a semi-final shoot-out at Deepdale. During the 2000-01 season, North End beat their transfer record in paying £1.5 million for David Healy.

For two consecutive seasons under Davies, North End lost in the play-offs, at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to West Ham in the 2004-05 final to a Bobby Zamora winner, and the following season in the semi-finals against Leeds United.

Soon after, Davies left the club to join Derby County. In his place came the Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson, who replaced the recently departed defenders Claude Davis and Tyrone Mears with Sean St. Ledger and Liam Chilvers.

The 2006/07 season started well under Simpson, seeing Preston rise to the top of the Championship in December, the highest league place the team has reached in 55 years. Despite interest in striker David Nugent, Simpson held on to the player throughout the January transfer window. On 28 March, Nugent went on to get his full international debut for England, and scored his first international goal in the 90th minute of the match against Andorra. This was the first time a Preston player received a full international cap for England since Tom Finney. In the end, the team missed out on a playoff spot in the final few weeks of the season.

Managerial Merry Go Round (2007-2013)

During the close season before the 2007/08 season, striker David Nugent left Preston to join Portsmouth for a club record fee of £6,000,000. Simpson, with a much inflated transfer budget due to this sale, brought in Billy Jones, Kevin Nicholls, Karl Hawley and Darren Carter. Despite these signings, Preston's poor form continued from the end of the previous season, seeing the club pick up only three wins before Simpson was sacked on 13 November.

He was then replaced with Alan Irvine, who had been second-in-command to ex-manager David Moyes at Everton, on a 3½-year contract^[10] Irvine was able to reverse the club's bad luck, and he was able to get the club out of the relegation zone, and even managed to get the club to finish in a respectable 15th place in the league. In his first full season in charge he managed to guide Preston to an unexpected 6th position in the league and helped them make the play offs in which Preston lost 2-1 on aggregate to Sheffield United. The 2009–2010 season started brightly for the team with a good run of results early on. However the momentum could not be maintained and after a poor run of results manager Alan Irvine was sacked on 29 December.^[11] Preston did not waste any time in appointing a replacement and Darren Ferguson was signed on a 3½-year contract on 6 January 2010.^[12]

Ferguson continued the bad run of form until the end of the season, despite bringing in players from Manchester United such as Danny Welbeck and Matthew James. However, after a heart-pounding last minute win over Scunthorpe, Preston had secured safety. Then came a dramatic summer, which saw the Lilywhites being bought by longtime shareholder and leisure tycoon Trevor Hemmings. He brought in Maurice Lindsay to replace former chairman Derek Shaw and a ruthless cost-cutting regieme began, which (over half a season) saw high earners like Ross Wallace and Richard Chaplow leave as well as fans' favourites Youl Mawéné and Jon Parkin.

Preston started the 2010/11 campaign in a similar way, which saw both poor performances and poor results. Ferguson brought in more players into the team, including a few more from his father's team (such as Ritchie De Laet and Joshua King), ex North Enders Michael Tonge and Danny Pugh and Iain Hume (who scored in Preston's historic comeback against Leeds United). But ultimately the unpopular and incompetent Darren Ferguson was sacked on 29 December (ironically the same date his predecessor, Alan Irvine lost his job). This provoked Alex Ferguson to recall all of the players on loan from Manchester United^[13] and encouraged his friend Tony Pulis to do the same.^[14][15]

On 6 January (one year after Ferguson's appointment to the day) Phil Brown was appointed as manager of Preston,^[16] with Brian Horton as his assistant.^[17] Preston's fortunes slowly turned and their form improved, however it was to be a case of "too little, too late" and the club finished 21st in the table, putting them back into League One for the first time for eleven years.

Over the course of the summer, Preston had almost a complete overhaul of their squad, in an attempt to reduce the size of their debt.^[18] Many key players, such as Sean St Ledger, Andrew Lonergan and Keith Treacy left the club and the club resorted to signing free agents (including the return of Preston North End legend Graham Alexander) and loan players such as the Preston born Clarke Carlisle. The reduced size of the squad, meant that there were more opportunities available for youth players.

After an unsatisfactory first few games, Preston won seven games in a row, the first time since the days of Sir Tom Finney, with many high scoring games in the process. But after an international break, key players such as Iain Hume, Neil Mellor and Jamie Proctor became injured and Preston spiralled into a win-less run. Part way through this run, Chairman Maurice Lindsay decided to retire from the sport, due to ill health^[19] and was replaced days later by Peter Ridsdale.^[20] Preston continued to struggle in both performance and results and on 14 December, the management duo of Phil Brown and Brian Horton left the club.^[21] Then began a four-week search for the next manager, in which time David Unsworth and Graham Alexander were care-taker managers, who had improved on Phil Brown's legacy by losing only one game and winning at home for the first time since September 2011. The search began drawing to a conclusion, when the Stevenage manager Graham Westley was approached. After four days of tense negotiation, he was appointed manager on Friday 13 January 2012.^[22]

The new manager's arrival saw another change in back-room^[23] and playing staff. Including David Unsworth's departure.^[24] Westley proceeded with getting rid of Phil Brown's disappointing signings, including Clarke Carlisle^[25] and Ian Ashbee^[26] and bringing in seven players in his first month in charge.^[27]

Westley's team then saw a further decline in results and performances, finishing the season with only three wins out of twenty one. The football was perceived to be negative and resulted in an increasingly despondent Deepdale.^[28] One positive towards the end of the season was the final appearance of the Preston North End legend Graham Alexander, who came off from the bench in the final few minutes, in the last home game against league champions Charlton Athletic. Preston were 1-2 down against the Addicks, until Alexander capped off a fine career, by scoring a free-kick to equalise the game, with his last touch as a player for his beloved club.^[29][30]

After the season had finished, and after a time period of much controversy, including some team selections (such as playing centre half Aaron Brown up front),^[31] the "text scandal"^[32] and what was dubbed "leakgate"^[33]), Graham Westley reiterated plans of overhauling the squad^[34] in what was sure to be an interesting summer.

Westley went about overhauling the squad ahead of the 2012–13 season.^[35] In May 2012, Preston announced that 21 players would be leaving the club; 14 of which were released at the end of their contracts, while a further seven were transfer-listed.^[35][36] Preston signed 18 players during the summer transfer window, including Scott Laird, John Mousinho, Joel Byrom, and Chris Beardsley, four players from Westley's former club, Stevenage. Westley stated a desire for the new group of players to be committed to his ideas — "My job is to develop a plan that would see the club back on an upward curve. The plan is in place. I'm looking forward to working with a group that thinks along the same lines that I do".^[35]

Preston started the season well, beating Championship side Huddersfield Town 2–0 at Deepdale in the League Cup.^[37] Later on in the month, Preston went on to secure consecutive 4–1 home victories, beating Crystal Palace and Swindon Town respectively,^[38][39] as well as defeating Hartlepool United 5–0 a month later.^[40] However, the club went on to win just two leagues matches in a four-month period from October 2012 to February 2013, one of which was against Hartlepool United, who were bottom of the table.^[41] A day after Preston's 3–1 away defeat to Yeovil Town on 12 February 2013,^[42] the club released a statement announcing Westley had been sacked by the club.^[43][44] With Preston sitting just five points above the relegation zone, it was revealed that "the board felt that a change of manager was the only way forward".^[43] Westley's thirteen month managerial reign personally resulting in with the third worst win percentage of any Preston manager and leaving Preston drawn into another relegation battle.

Speculation was rife, that former Leeds United and Blackpool manager Simon Grayson would take over as the new manager.^[45] While it was confirmed that Dino Maamria would be leaving the club, while assistant manager John Dreyer was appointed care-taker manager for the whites' up and coming game against top of the league Bournemouth.^[46] Dreyer's team won the game 2-0, with the team playing with much more freedom.^[47] Eventually, on 18 February, it was confirmed that Simon Grayson had taken charge of Preston and that he would be joined at the club by Glynn Snodin.^[48]

Simon Grayson Era (2013- )

Simon Grayson was appointed by the club on the 18th February 2013^[49] and immediately made an impact. Preston went unbeaten in his first four games, drawing with Swindon Town and MK Dons, before achieving his first win as Preston boss against Stevenage - Westley's former club,^[50] before following the win up with a win against Notts County. Of Grayson's next 10 games (the final 10 games of the League 1 season), Preston won 3, drew 4 and lost 3.

2013/14 Season

In Grayson's first summer in charge, he permanently signed 4 players, Tom Clarke,^[51] a centreback, Chris Humphrey,^[52] a right winger, Kevin Davies,^[53] a Centre forward and Alex Nicholson,^[54] a right back. He also signed Declan Rudd on a season long loan^[55] from Norwich City. He allowed 3 players to leave during the summer, those being Luke Foster,^[56] Chris Robertson^[57] and Andrew Procter.^[58]

The 2013-14 season started off well, unbeaten in their first 9 league games. They also beat local rivals Blackpool in the League Cup, before being beaten by Lancashire rivals Burnley in the second round.

The 9 league game unbeaten run came to an end on the 5th October, against Peterborough United, a 2 - 0 defeat^[59] and was followed up with a 2nd 2-0 defeat, against Crewe.^[60] Preston then went on another 9 game unbeaten league run, winning 5 and drawing 4, including a win against Leyton Orient, only their second league defeat of the season.^[61] The unbeaten run came to an end after a 3-0 home defeat to Brentford,^[62] but was followed up with 3 more consecutive wins, against Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale.

Preston's FA Cup campaign started off successfully, with a 6-0 win over Barnet F.C. in the first round.^[63] That was followed up with a 1-0 over Wycombe Wanderers.^[64]

Preston's 2nd game of 2014 was against Wolves, which ended in a 2 - 0 defeat.^[65] In the FA Cup, Preston came up against Ipswich Town in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, drawing 1-1,^[66] before winning 3-2 in the replay.^[67] In the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, Preston were drawn against Nottingham Forrest. They drew 0-0^[68] and then Preston lost 0-2 in the replay,^[69] despite dominating the game.

Following that loss, Preston then went onto a 12-game unbeaten run in the league, their 3rd of the season, which strengthed North End's position in the play off positions, placing them 17 points ahead of 7th placed M.K. Dons, with 27 points available. The unbeaten run was then lost after a 1-0 defeat by Swindon Town F.C.,^[70] but was followed up with two consecutive wins against Peterborough United^[71] and Crawley Town,^[72] which all but secured their play off place, being 18 points clear of M.K. Dons, with 18 points to play for. The next game was a 1-1 draw with Bristol City^[73] followed up with a 6-1 romp against Carlisle United.^[74]

Preston won two and lost two of their final four league games of the season. They lost 1-0 to Brentford^[75] securing their promotion to the Championship. Preston then went on to beat Shrewsbury Town,^[76] moving them up to 4th place, before beating Gillingham,^[77] moving them up to 3rd place. The final game of the season was against Crewe, which they lost 2-1,^[78] meaning they ended the season in 5th place.

The result meant that Preston would face Rotherham in the League One play-offs. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw,^[79] with a notable goal from Joe Garner.^[80] In the second leg, Preston took an early lead, through Paul Gallagher, but conceded 3 goals, losing the match 3-1 and 4-2 on aggregate.^[81]

2014/15 Season

In his second summer in charge Simon Grayson signed 5 players permanently - Jamie Jones,^[82] Calum Woods,^[83] Jordan Hugill,^[84] Andy Little^[85] and Kyel Reid^[86] and brought Paul Gallagher in on a season long loan.^[87] Preston also signed Callum Robinson on a two-month youth loan^[88] in September and Jermaine Beckford on a season long loan^[89] in November.

Preston allowed 9 players to leave Deepdale during the summer, those being Chris Beardsley,^[90] Shane Cansdell-Sherriff,^[90] Ryan Croasdale,^[90] Graham Cummins,^[90] Iain Hume,^[90] John Mousinho,^[90] Alex Nicholson,^[90] Nicky Wroe^[90] and Stuart Beavon.^[91]

Preston started the season strongly, winning 2 and drawing 3 of the first five league games of the season. Preston suffered their first league loss of the season, against Walsall F.C.^[92] in their sixth game of the season. Of their next 8 games, Preston won 7 and drew 1. After their first 14 games, Preston were in 2nd place, on 31 points, two points behind league leaders Bristol City F.C., but 5 points clear of 3rd place Swindon Town F.C..^[93]

Preston then went onto lose their next 3 league games, against Rochdale,^[94] Swindon Town F.C.^[95] and Bradford City.^[96]

In the midst of the league campaign, Preston were involved in 3 separate cup competitions. Preston found success in the Football League Trophy, reaching the Northern section final - losing 2-0 on aggregate to Walsall. In the League Cup, Preston faced, and defeated Rochdale in round 1,^[97] before being beaten by Middlesbrough in the second round.^[98] In the opening 3 rounds of the FA Cup, Preston defeated Havant & Waterlooville^[99] in the first round, Shrewsbury Town^[100] in the second and Norwich City^[101] in the third round to put them in the hat for a potentially money-spinning trip to a Premier League side in the fourth round of the cup.

Meanwhile, in Preston's next 10 games, they 4, drew 4 and lost 2 - although they did go on a 5 match winless run, culminating in a loss against Crawley Town.^[102] During this run, Preston also faced Sheffield United in the FA Cup in the fourth Round. They drew 1-1 in the first game,^[103] before winning 3-1 in the replay.^[104] This set up a fifth round home tie against Manchester United.

Following Preston securing a home tie in the FA Cup against Manchester United, they went on a 18-game unbeaten run, winning 12 and drawing 6 of those games, including notable wins against promotion rivals MK Dons^[105] and Swindon Town^[106] placed them in prime position for automatic promotion, needing to win against relegation threatened Colchester United on the final day. Preston lost the game 1-0,^[107] whilst MK Dons won, meaning that Preston finished the season in 3rd place and were in the play-offs again. Simon Grayson's side had been in the top two since the start of March and had not lost in the league since 31 January. They faced Chesterfield in the semi-finals of the play offs.

In the FA Cup, Preston lost 3-1 to Manchester United,^[108] despite taking the lead through Scott Laird. That was Preston's only defeat during their unbeaten run between January and May.

In the first leg of the Play offs, Preston won 1-0,^[109] thanks to a goal from Jermaine Beckford. In the second leg they won 3-0^[110] thanks to Joe Garner's penalty and Jermaine Beckford's brace. They won the semi-finals 4-0 on aggregate and set up a play off final against Swindon Town. Preston, who had never won in the play offs in their previous nine appearances - which was a record at the time, beat Swindon Town 4–0 in the play-off final, including a hat-trick by Jermaine Beckford, winning promotion to the Championship,^[111] which was met with delight from both manager Simon Grayson^[112] and owner Trevor Hemmings.^[113]

References