Category: Preston North End Editorial

Almost a decade spent managing the editorial out in both print and digital for a top performing Championship Football Club and one of the most historic names in the game.

Footballers Drives: Marcus Stewart

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The life of a footballer on loan is one of lonely drives up and down the country from your current club to your adopted one. That’s what North End’s latest striker Marcus Stewart had had to contend with in the past few weeks as he has made his way north from Bristol on more than one occasion, so the comfort and reliability of his car is something that is close to his heart.

How many times did it take to pass your test?
I passed on my second time, it took me about 18 lessons. I don’t remember the name of the guy, it was just some bloke who worked for a company in Bristol.

What was the first car that you bought?
It was a Ford Escort Mark II. I asked my dad if he would buy me one, he said yes, he said I’ve got a certain amount of money and we ended up buying it. The next car I got was a Manta GTE.

A what?
A Manta GTE, it was gold. I don’t think you can buy them these days, that one got stolen. I was only a young professional, about 19, 20 years old.

How many cars have you owned since then?
About six or seven, not too many.

What’s the best car you have had?
A BMW Seven series. I should have never got rid of it, it was a brilliant drive, a reliable car, it wasn’t really hot on petrol and it was very comfortable. I would say it was also the most expensive car I have ever had.

What car are you driving at the moment?
A BMW Six Series. It’s very nice, a very good car, very comfortable but it’s not as big inside as I would like it to be, not like the Seven Series was, you learn by your mistakes.

I suppose what car you drive is important to you at the moment with all the traveling from Bristol back and forth.
Yes, the one I’m in at the moment is very hot on petrol so I’m looking for Nissan to give me a car.

Well everyone else has got one! What would your dream car be?
I think that the Bentley that the Chairman has got is very nice.

What would you need to do to get one of those?
(laughs) Just go into my bank account but I don’t want to get one at the moment. I didn’t want to say that but you asked me the question.

Who has had the best car at any of the clubs you have been at?
That would be an Aston Martin Vanquish that one of the players at Sunderland had.

Were you a boy racer?
I’m sensible now but I used to be a boy racer. I had the speakers in my car with loud music and the windows down. You go through that phase and now I have grown out of it.

What music do you listen to in your car nowadays?
All sorts, from R&B to classical, it depends what mood I am in but I have got the full range.

If you are driving with the missus who decides what is on the stereo?
The kids decide. We both like Radio One so that is normally on.

What is in your glove box?
Some Sunderland signed photos which I have had in there since last season. I had 50 given to me and I have still got 50, the CD on how to work the satellite navigation is also in there.

What’s worse, speed cameras or speed bumps?
Definitely speed cameras. They’ve not caught me out too much as I have one of those Road Angel things in my car so I tend to clock them.

Model: BMW 6 Series
Engine Size: 3.0
Top Speed: 155 mph
Acceleration (0-60 mph) 6.5 seconds
Price: £47,500

Club Legend – Eddie Gray, Leeds United

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Leeds United have a whole host of legendary former players to choose from, the list of players given to the matchday programme to interview was mightily impressive indeed. But we decided to go for a one-club man who played on the wing and later managed the club, Eddie Gray.

You made your debut as a 17-year-old on New Year’s Day 1966, what are your memories of the game?
I didn’t feel that nervous, I was reasonably confident in my ability. You feel a little bit nervous but no nerves that are going to stop me performing.

We won against Sheffield Wednesday; it was a good win for the club, a tough game. I managed to score which made it better It was just so that my younger brother Frank had come to stay with me for the weekend and a few years later I watched Frank score on his debut for Leeds.

Within two years you were collecting your first winners medals with the League Cup, Fairs Cup in 1968 and in 1969 you claimed the League Championship?
They were great experiences as a young player, they were the club’s first major trophies which was important because Don Revie was trying to build something at the football club. It started in the early 1960s when I arrived at the club and it was nice to see it come to fruition when the club became a powerful force in English football.

It was a great feeling to win the league, there was a lot of good teams around at that particular time and to win the league championships was a great experience. Obviously we had our disappointments along the way but all in all it was a successful time for the club.

That goal you scored against Burnley has been rated as one of the best in the club’s history; do the fans still remind you of that?
Yes they do, I scored another goal that day which gave me immense satisfaction from the point of view of how I executed it. But the goal that the fans talk about was something that I could do naturally.

You almost completed an unprecedented treble in 1970 but it turned out that you missed out on all three fronts.
It was more unfortunate than disappointing but you are better playing in games like that than not at all. That’s always the way I’ve looked at football anyway, you were better challenging and being in Cup Finals and challenging for league trophies and European trophies than not being involved at all. It is disappointing at the time but the status of the football club was getting stronger all the time, it was nice to bounce back and keep winning trophies, that was the most important thing.

I think there was 136,000 at Hampden for the European Cup semi against Celtic, it was a tremendous occasion, a great game of football between two top class sides. Celtic had won the European Cup in 1967 and they probably should have won it the year they beat us in the semis but Feyenoord beat them, but Feyenoord were on the up as well.

It was a memorable occasion but a huge disappointment to get beat, I used to follow Celtic as a boy, they were my club, I always used to look for their results and to play them in that semi-final was a great thrill.

When Don Revie left the club Leeds went into decline but you stuck with them through those years.
 The club were still hovering about the top positions in the league for a few years but nothing like the success that we used to have. The club never bounced back until Howard Wilkinson took control. I had a go at management when the club got relegated. I had a lot of decent young players but like all things you have got to be successful in football. Howard joined the club after Billy Bremner had left and he was successful, the club started to spend a little bit of money again. There was some top class footballers at the club, you only need to look at the midfield then with Strachan, Batty, McAllister and Speed, that was as good as any midfield that had played for a long time.


You also left a legacy of your own as your brought some fantastic young players through the youth set-up during your time there.
I brought some terrific young players through the football club It was just disappointing that in the circumstances the football club had to sell those players. If it wasn’t for having those players and being able to generate some money through them, the likes of Kewell, Smith, Woodgate, Robinson and even the younger ones like Milner and Lennon, they would have probably been in huge trouble, they were in a lot of trouble as it was but it would have been huge. It was nice to work with these players and it is nice to see them all going on and fulfilling the potential they showed.

Last Three Games With Leeds United At Deepdale
6th November 2004
PNE 2-4 Leeds
Cresswell scores twice for North End but it is Healy who has the last laugh as he returns to haunt his old club with a brace.

4th October 1966
PNE 1-1 Leeds
Bill Cranston grabs the goal for North End as the two sides are forced into a replay in this League Cup encounter.

3rd March 1964
PNE 2-0 Leeds
Goals from Wilson and Ashworth secure the win in front of almost 36,000 at Deepdale but Leeds go on to gain promotion as the Lilywhites finish third.

Fans Favourite: Steve Bull – Wolves

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Wolves fans of recent years don’t have to think too hard about a modern day hero at Molineux, there is one man’s name on the lips of most fans, no not David Kelly, but the legendary Steve Bull. It’s no surprise the find that he is Mick Harper’s Fans Favourite.

He was a one club man, he came from West Brom but he was very loyal to us. He could have gone on and played at a higher level but he didn’t.
I remember the first time I saw him play, I think it was Wrexham at home. Him and Andy Thompson made their debuts on the same day and I was asked on the Monday what I thought of them, I said I didn’t think too much of the little man, Andy Thompson, and he turned out to be really good, and I said I’ll reserve judgement on the other fellow. Sure enough he started to produce the goods.

I was at Cardiff in the Old Sherpa Vans Trophy when he scored his first goal, there were only 60 or 70 Wolves fans there. He was local lad who came from West Brom but he soon won us over, he hadn’t played too many games for West Brom so that was ok. I remember his 300th goal as well, that was against Bradford and that was an emotional night.

He was 100 per cent, whole-hearted, dedicated. A lot of people used to say that his first touch wasn’t very good but his first touch was often smashing it into the back of the net. He could ruffle all sorts of defenders, he had a lot of steel and that is maybe why his career finished prematurely, because of all the kicking he got.

I remember him coming on as a sub and scoring for England against Scotland, I toyed with the idea of actually travelling up and watching the game because it was him but we watched it on the TV and I remember jumping up in the air in front of my TV.

I think he should have had more games for England than he actually had, he had 13 actual appearances and he scored four goals, but he was only on the pitch for the equivalent of eight games so I like to think that he had a record of scoring a goal once every two games.

Initially I was worried that we might lose him but as time went on it came clear that he probably wouldn’t leave. The closest he came to leaving is when Coventry came in for him but I remember the relief when it was decided that he would be staying.

They are having a game against Aston Villa to celebrate 20 years of him signing and I think he will be playing in that.

I think he’d have done alright in the top flight, at his peak he would have been a 20-goal-a-season man in the Premiership.

The Deepdale Diary – 24th March 2006

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Tuesday 24th March
With David Nugent and Danny Dichio ruled out through injury North End swoop to capture former Ipswich and Sunderland striker Marcus Stewart from Bristol City. The 33-year-old forward arrives until the end of the season with the option of a Play-Off extension and he is hoping to making it a third successful promotion to the Premiership after taking the Tractor Boys and the Black Cats to the top flight.

Former Preston boss David Moyes could be set to take Man Utd flop Diego Forlan back to the North West with Everton after the striker did so well with Villareal.

Wednesday 25th March
Preston boss Billy Davies explains that experience is the key with new signing Marcus Stewart.

“The key is his experience,” said Davies. “It is very difficult to get your hands on decent loan players at this stage of the season, especially ones who have such a good pedigree as Marcus. Clubs in the Premiership and other Championship clubs who are competing against us just don’t want to lend us players.

“Sometimes it’s a case of needs must. But I still feel we were very fortunate that a player with the experience of Marcus was available and we managed to get him.”

The Football League is in talks with Chinese officials about a long-term link up with the game in the Far East.

Thursday 26th March
Deadline day passes with no further arrivals at Deepdale leaving Preston boss Billy Davies with a squad of 26 for the Play-Off push, although four of those players are unlikely to figure due to injury. Davies confirms that Joe Anyinsah will remain at PNE as a First Team squad member.

Sheffield United are set to allow their on-loan striker Geoff Horsefield join Derby County on loan for the remainder of the season.

Friday 27th March
Callum Davidson suffers a reaction after returning to training and is rated as a doubt for the visit of Plymouth Argyle. Matt Hill could return whilst Marcus Stewart is expected to be in the 16, Plymouth complete a deadline day transfer by bringing in Wolves’ Leon Clarke to bolster their strikeforce.

Man City boss Stuart Pearce is mulling over a summer bid for Blackburn Rovers’ out of contract striker Paul Dickov according to reports.

Dates For Your Diary
Sunday 5th March – Paul McKenna’s Testimonial Ten Pin Bowling Night at the Lakeside Ten Pin Bowling centre. For more info contact Geoff Ollerton on 07732927265. Monday 13th March – Claude Davis attends the Lancaster Supporters Club Meeting, Melbourne Club, Lancaster 7.30pm. Thursday 16th March – Simon Whaley and Chris Sedgwick attend a Healthy Lifestyle seminar at Balshaws High School

Fans Favourite: Tommy Tynan – Plymouth Argyle

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As a fan of a side that he never had a team in the top flight Alec Henderson has had to endure what he calls ‘some pretty grim times’. But the Pilgrims fan can say that he saw one of the greatest exponents of goal-poaching to never play in the top division, Tommy Tynan, a player whom for many Plymouth supporters will always be the Fans Favourite.

We got him from Newport when he was playing in the same team as John Aldridge, we brought him down here in about 1984 and went on to knock in a lot of goals for us. We actually tried to sign John Aldridge as well but the board decided that we could only have one, we went for Tommy Tynan and we all know what happened to John Aldridge. If we had had the both of them who knows what would have happened, one season Tynan scored 31 goals and another he had a tally that went into the late 20s. Even today you still get remarks on the terraces along the lines of ‘Tynan wouldn’t have missed that’, he is a living legend.

Tommy and John Aldridge shared the golden boot one season and Tyan was also in the team that got us to our furthest everpoint in the FA Cup in 1984 when we lost to Watford in the semi-final. Tommy Tynan is a very big part of the history of the club. That semi-final was the highlight, the only highlight! The rest of the time you needed a strong prescription because it really was grim, we were down to crowds of 5,000 but that one season alone we will live on it forever. The chances of us going up into the top division, I wouldn’t say they are negligible, but I think we have found our level in the league now and we accept that if we can maintain a good Championship position then that is as much as we can really accept.

After that semi-final, Graham Taylor actually said that he was glad that it didn’t go to extra-time because he thought they would have lost. With about 10 minutes to go, Kevin Hodges, who later went on to become our manager, hit a shot that went past Steve Sherwood, it was going in, but it was something like a Shane Warne ball and it spun and went around the other side of the post and it was at that point that we thought no Wembley for us!

Tynan moved to Rotherham because his wife wanted to move back to Yorkshire, Norman Hunter signed him but there were rumours of a punch-up on the training ground and he came back to Plymouth on loan with the proviso that he didn’t play when the two sides met a few weeks later. However, he did end up playing, and he scored! Things between us and Rotherham weren’t too happy for a while! But in modern day football I would have to say that Tommy Tynan is the best we have ever seen.

Club Legend: Sean McCarthy – Plymouth Argyle

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Sean McCarthy’s career in football will best be remembered as the hustling and bustling centre-forward that scored goals for Bradford City and Oldham Athletic during the 1990s but the former Republic of Ireland international bookended those spells in the north by making many great friends with two spells at Plymouth’s Home Park

You’d had a few good years with Swansea, what prompted the move to Plymouth?
I signed from Swansea, they paid £50,000 for me and I signed for Ken Brown in 1988. I had been at Swansea for five years and we couldn’t agree on a contract and I was out of contract in the summer, Ken Brown came up top watch me in a pre-season game and I ended up signing for Plymouth.

What was Ken Brown like to work with as a manager?
He was brilliant, he was a good manger. The two seasons I was there was in the old First Division, but we were always struggling against relegation for the two seasons I was there. But Ken was brilliant, he didn’t show any strains, I played under Joe Royle at Oldham and they were very similar managers, quite laid back but very good coaches.

One of the most memorable games from that time must have been the FA Cup game against Everton?
We were only averaging crowds of 9,000 but it ended up with 30,000 fans coming out of the woodwork, it was fantastic. I scored in the game and we were winning with four minutes to go, but they won a dubious penalty which Kevin Sheedy converted, that was our chance because we went to Goodison Park for the replay and ended up getting beat 4-0.

Everton were a quality side, it was on Match of the Day and I remember Jimmy Hill saying that the penalty was very harsh. They had Neville Southall, Dave Watson, Sharp and Cottee up front, Kevin Sheedy, Trevor Steven, Gary Stevens, McCall in midfield, it was a great great team.

You also had the privilege of playing with the legendary Tommy Tynan.
Tommy Tynan was a great player, I learnt a lot of of him. People probably didn’t give him the credit that he deserved, they just thought that he was a goalscorer but he had a little bit more to him than that, he could hold the ball up. But his main threat was in the 18-yard box, I remember playing in one game against Blackburn Rovers, I got sent off so we were down to 10 men but Tommy ended up scoring four goals, we beat them 4-3. He used to come alive in the box, he was a great goalscorer.

You finally left Home Park and moved north to enjoy great success with two northern sides on opposite sides of the Pennines.
Ken Brown got the sack at the end of the second season I was there and in the summer I was out of contract and there was a lot of clubs interested in me, I had a few phonecalls and I didn’t know whether I was going to get a new contract. Bradford came down to meet me in a hotel in Newport and they thrashed out a deal there and then, they put the offer on the table and I accepted and I had three and a half good years at Bradford.

There are a lot of clubs up and around that area, when you play for teams like Swansea and Plymouth every away trip is an overnight stay but up north there are so many clubs within a radius of a one hour drive and there is not so much travelling. I still keep in touch with a lot of people up there, my main strike partner at Bradford was Paul Jewell, we had three and half great seasons and we were quite close buddies. I was lucky enough to score quite a few goals at Bradford and there were quite a few clubs interested in me. It was Oldham who put £550,000 on the table for me and I was across the Pennines for four great years, one of which was in the Premiership, that was a great place to play with places like Old Trafford and Highbury.

I had a brief spell with Bristol City on loan for the last ten games of the season and I remember the last game of the season was at Preston, we lost the game 2-1 but I scored a goal. I’ll never forget the day though because my father passed away the day before, John Ward was the manager and he told me to have a lie down and if I felt like playing then he would leave the decision up to me. I spoke to my family and they just said try and score a goal for my dad, which I did. I helped Brstol City get promoted before I returned to Plymouth for three more great years.

Last Three Plymouth Visits To Deepdale

28th September 2004
PNE 1-1 Plymouth
Billy Davies’ last game in charge in the caretaker capacity saw Richard Cresswell rescue a point for the Lilywhites after Matthias Doumbe had opened the scoring.

1st November 1997
PNE 0-1 Plymouth
A third successive home defeat for Gary Peters’ side as Carlo Corazzin gets the only goal of the game to leave the Lilywhites struggling at the wrong end of the table.

5th April 1997
PNE 1-1 Plymouth
North End’s first season back in League One sees them struggling with mediocrity, David Reeves opens the scoring but Mark Saunders equalises for the Pilgrims.

The Deepdale Diary – 26th February 2006

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Sunday 26th February
North End boss Billy Davies believes that a lack of a killer finish was the difference between his side and  runaway Championship leaders Reading at the Madejski. PNE lost 2-1 in Berkshire despite dominating the majority of the play, a similar outcome to the previous week when they lost to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

Outspoken Crystal Palace Chairman Simon Jordan is reportedly ready to stand down from his role at the Selhurst Park Club.

Monday 27th February
Preston are hopeful that their Club captain Chris Lucketti will return from injury in time for the visit of Ipswich Town. Lucketti was an absentee from the squad which visited Reading after picking up a groin strain in training but with Youl Mawene’s one-match suspension kicking in against the Tractor Boys, the services of the skipper will be needed.

Ian Holloway will stay on the Queens Park Rangers payroll for the remainder of the season, despite being replaced as manager by Gary Waddock.

Tuesday 28th February
With injuries and suspensions mounting, North End boss Billy Davies admits that he is still aiming to move into the emergency loans market to fill one or two gaps. Matt Hill, Callum Davidson and Youl Mawene are all suspended for the Ipswich game whilst Chris Lucketti is nursing a groin strain. “We want to give ourselves as many options as possible and we will see if we can add to the squad,” said the Scotsman.

Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan is to ask manager Paul Jewell to ‘name the length’ of his contract as he begins contract negotiations.

Wednesday 1st March
Preston North End’s Youth Team progress to the semi-finals of the Lancashire Youth Cup following a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over Tranmere Rovers. The scores were locked at 1-1 thanks to an Ashley Stott goal but the youngsters triumphed 6-5 on a penalty shoot-out. On the same night David Nugent made his first start for the England Under-21s in a 3-1 win over Reading.

Everton are set to offer Sunderland’s Liam Lawrence a Premiership lifeline. The former Mansfield man has impressed with the Black Cats this season.
Dates For Your Diary
Sunday 5th March – Paul McKenna’s Testimonial Ten Pin Bowling Night at the Lakeside Ten Pin Bowling centre. For more info contact Geoff Ollerton on 07732927265. Monday 13th March – Claude Davis attends the Lancaster Supporters Club Meeting, Melbourne Club, Lancaster 7.30pm. Thursday 16th March – Simon Whaley and Chris Sedgwick attend a Healthy Lifestyle seminar at Balshaws High School


Charlie Wayman
One of Preston North End’s greatest strikers Charlie Wayman sadly passed away this week at the age of 83. Charlie was a member of the so-called ‘holy trinity’ of Preston North End with Tom Finney and Andy Beattie in the 1950s. He will be remembered at today’s game with a one minutes silence prior to kick-off.

Charlie Wayman arrived at Deepdale in September 1950 after showing prolific form at both Newcastle United and Southampton previously.

Wayman took three games to notch his first goal for his new club, his first strike coming against Notts County in a league game, with a huge crowd turning out to watch the action. An energetic, but slightly diminutive player, Wayman forged an electric partnership with Finney and Beattie, helping Preston North End to win promotion in 1950/51. He had already served notice of his impending greatness during his first season at Deepdale, when scoring four first half goals against Queens Park Rangers in a Christmas Day fixture at Loftus Road. He ended that intial campaign having scored twenty-seven goals, thus securing his affections amongst the Deepdale faithful.

Another sparkling statistic to emerge from Wayman’s prolific goalscoring record with Preston North End, was the fact he managed to score in every round during North End’s historic run to the 1954 FA Cup Final. A few short months later, and six games into the 1954/55 season, manager, Frank Hill created uproar in the town when transferring Wayman to Middlesbrough. What baffled the fans most about his departure was the fact he had already scored six goals during the early season campaign, with the promise of lots more goals to come, judging by the form he was in. Wayman had averaged two goals in every three games for Preston North End and finished up having scored 117 goals in 171 league and cup matches.

Preston North End Football Club would like to pass on condolences to Charlie’s family and friends.

Club Legend: Marvin Johnson – Luton Town

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Soccer - Endsleigh League Division One - Luton Town v Stoke City - Kenilworth Road

Luton’s Marvin Johnson is the Hatters’ answer to Preston’s Sir Tom Finney, a one club man who was revered by his home supporters during a very long career at Kenilworth Road.

Marvin you came into the Luton Town side during what was a real halcyon era for the club.
I made my debut in 1988, I was about 18 or 19. I remember making my full league debut against Wimbledon, it was a bit of a baptism of fire against John Fashanu and the Crazy Gang, we lost 2-0 on the day but it is something I will always remember. I remember playing in the Simod Cup for my first debut, we played against Everton at Goodison, we won that 2-0 and as a kid that was a good experience. As a kid to become a professional footballer is the ultimate desire and at the time when you are playing against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal I was probably taking that for granted. When I look how difficult it would be be for a club like Luton to do that these days, to get into the top flight and play against the likes of those clubs it was a great experience.

The Hatters had three trips to Wembley, the highlight of which was the League Cup win over Arsenal.
The first year when we got to the Littlewoods Cup Final and we won it I played in a couple of games in the earlier rounds. I was quite a fixture with the squad that season anyway and I was also involved in the squad for the final, at the time they only had two subs on the day so I was very close to being involved in some aspect in that game.

Brian Stein is still at the club now and he scored two of the goals, Arsenal were the favourites and obviously we were the underdogs but the fact that we were there involved in it and to come out winners was an amazing achievement and a brilliant occasion.

What are your personal highlights of playing for Luton during that time?
As a boy you always have a team you support and mine was Liverpool and I had posters on my wall of Kenny Dalglish. I had the privilege of playing against Kenny when he was player manager at Anfield, I did have a picture of me marking him on a set-piece and that was a memorable occasion for me, to play against your idol and to play at Anfield, even though we got smashed 4-0. Those are the memories for me from that time, players I looked up to when I was growing up, playing against Charlie Nicholas at Arsenal, Bryan Robson at Manchester United, you take them for granted when you are playing but now when I look back they are good memories.

What was the turning point which led to Luton’s demise?
We were very unlucky because that season we won the Littlewoods Cup was the first season that English clubs were banned from Europe. When we did get relegated it was the year before it turned into the Premiership and if we had stayed in it a couple more years we would have got a lot of money from the Premier League and that was a turning point.

Later in your career you was joined by a youthful Graham Alexander.
He has turned into a very comfortable, very good footballer. He came from Scunthorpe when we signed him and he was very young but he was technically very good footballer and as you get older you get more experienced. I talk to kids about watching footballers and when Preston came down to Luton I told the kids to watch Graham because he is a very good footballer, he plays the way how I like the game to be played, he tries to pass it and he is very comfortable on the ball and he is a very good friend as well.

Is it true that the fans used to sing ‘Marvin for England’?
I don’t know about that! They used to shout that quite a bit when I was playing. I  still get on really well with the fans, I was at the club for 15 years and I was fortunate that the majority of the fans liked me.

Tell us about this goal which has been compared to Ricky Villa’s Cup Final goal?
I didn’t score too many goals. I scored about 11 goals in about 480 appearances. I’ve got the goals on video and they are not usually tap-ins, the one against Tranmere was probably one of the best goals I have scored. It was on my weaker foot, my right foot, after a bit of a mazy run and a decent finish at the end of the run so that was probably one of the best goals I have scored for the club.

You played at Deepdale a few times, what are your memories of playing at North End?
The pitch has always been very good and you can always have a good football game there. People tend to forget that Preston is a massive club and I don’t recall doing too well there as it happens but more often than not I enjoyed playing football there because the surface was of a high quality.

Luton’s Last Three League Visits To Deepdale

18th March 2000
PNE 1-0 Luton
A vital victory for David Moyes’ side as Iain Anderson scores to keep the Lilywhites on course for the League One Championship title.

16th January 1999
PNE 2-1 Luton
Supersub Jason Harris pops up with a 90th minute winner after Kurt Nogan cancels out an Andrew Fotiadis opener.

3rd March 1998
PNE 1-0 Luton
A rare Ryan Kidd effort is the difference between the two sides as Habib Sissoko makes one of four starts for Preston North End.

FOOTBALLERS DRIVE: BRIAN STOCK February 7th 2006

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Brian Stock has had to get used to the confines of his car since making the move up north, he has already made the five hour journey from Bournemouth to Preston enough times to give even the calmest of drivers road rage. But when it’s not your car that you are driving it can be quite easy to pile on the miles!

Who taught you how to drive?
It was a driving instructor down in Southampton.

How many times did it take you to pass your test?
Twice, I got two crosses when I failed the first time.

What was the first car that you ever owned?
It was a Fiesta 1.1. It was a beat-up second hand thing but it did the job at the time. But I started driving in January and I was banned by March, I only lasted two months of driving.

So you were a bit of a boy racer then?
Not really, I was unlucky really.

How many cars have you owned since then?
Two, a Rover convertible and the Peugeot 206 which I am selling.

How often do you change your car?
I’m not that really bothered about cars so it is probably every couple of years. I’m only selling my current one because it is two small for the family, we have got a little boy and it is too small.

What would your dream car be?
I’m not really a car lover but a Porsche would be nice. Nashy’s car is nice, I would love to take Nashy’s car.

What would you have to do to get one of those?
Start playing some more games.

Which is worse, speed bumps or speed cameras?
Speed cameras because I have been done a few times.

Have you ever tested a car to its full capabilities?
Yes, many a time.

Ever crashed a car?
Never, not even a prang.

Ever broken down and not been able to fix it?
I broke down once, I was with Wade Elliott going into training and my tyre popped on the motorway and we tried to change it, we were struggling and then another car almost came crashing into us, it just missed us but fortunately they knew how to change a tyre and they did it for me.

As you get older do you think you will be buying more sensible cars?
Yes, I think so.

What music do you have in your car?
Everything, anything from Celine Dion to Kanye West. Sometimes it sends the baby to sleep.

If you are driving with your missus who gets to choose what music you listen to?
Probably my missus. She’s into anything but she’s into all the lovey dovey stuff.

What’s the longest journey you have had to drive?
The one that I am doing at the moment. I’ve had to do Preston to Bournemouth and back a few times, it takes about four and half to five hours.

Have you ever driven abroad?
Never.

Who is the worst driver you have ever had to drive with?
Probably Bernie the kitman at Bournemouth, he was the bus driver and we called him Bernie Brake so it would have to be Bernie Morton.

Who is the most famous passenger you have had?
Probably Jermain Defoe when he was on loan at Bournemouth he was a passenger many a time.

Who has had the worst car at any of the clubs you have been at?
Wade Elliott, he had this beat-up Escort and he used to pick me up when I was banned from driving to take me to training in Bournemouth. If the radio wasn’t working I had to put my hand out and fiddle with the coathanger, I usually had my feet full of water and he always had to stop twice to fill up the radio because it leaked. Looking back it was quite funny really.

Who has the best car that you have seen at any of the clubs you’ve been at?
Nashy’s I think. I like Nashy’s.

If we had a rally with all the players driving their own car, who would win?
It would be Nashy, even if he would be too scared to scratch it.

Spec*
Model: Vauxhall Vectra CDTi
Engine Size: 1.9
Top Speed: 130 mph
Acceleration (0-60 mph) 9.2 seconds
Price: £20,000

*This car is loaned to Stocky by his mate Johnny Saunders as Brian is in the process of selling his Peugeot 206.

CLUB LEGEND: MIKE ELWISS

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Whilst one legendary Northender, Jon Macken, will be hoping to put one over on his old team-mates tonight, we spoke to Mike Elwiss a player who played for first Preston and then Palace and managed to achieve exactly what Macken will be aiming to emulate.

Mike, you played for both North End and Palace so you must have had a smile to yourself when you saw that we had drawn them in the Cup.
These things tend to happen in football but I will look forward to it. I scored for Palace against Preston when I came back, it was the winner, I played absolutely useless and scored the winner, I think that the goal was deflected! I still enjoy watching them these days and they are my team.

You arrived at Deepdale after earning a good reputation at Doncaster, how did the move come about?
It all happened very quickly, I was very flattered that they came in. Prior to that there was a deal with Liverpool, I was about to sign for Liverpool a few months before but that fell through but then Preston came in and I was only too happy to come here.

What was the problem on the Liverpool deal?
Money, not on my side either. It was the time when they were buying people from the lower divisions, but it was all about money between the two clubs. Doncaster kept putting the price up but Liverpool kept saying no. But the move to Preston was a good move and it was a really good time I had here.

It was Bobby Charlton who signed you but he wasn’t manager for too long during that period when you and Alex Bruce terrorised defences.
Bobby was a fantastic player and a nice man but he wasn’t cut out to be a manager. It was an enjoyable, pleasant and successful time. Alex and I were a good foil for each other, I put everything on a plate for him. There’s not one goal that springs to mind, they’re all good.

How did the move south to Crystal Palace materialise?
I was told by certain people that they were going places, they had just got Terry Venables as manager, and it proved to be correct. They had a good crop of youngsters there who had  won the FA Youth Cup two years on the trot and they were all coming into the side, rather like the Manchester United youngsters when they were coming through. We won what is now the Championship and went into the top flight but from there things fell apart, for me and the club, Terry Venables left the club soon after. It was an enjoyable time but I never realised my full potential down there, when a player moves it takes them a good six months to get acclimatised to the place and to the different way of playing. It was only on a number of occasions down there that I felt that I had done a reasonable job.

It must have been difficult also for a northern lad to be moving to London?
To a certain degree, I had the best of both worlds really. When I first went down there I was in a flat in Hearn Hill and it was just concrete all around and I just couldn’t deal with it. They asked me where I wanted to live and I just said I need to get out to the countryside, they did that and they moved me to a place called Coulston and it was the best of both worlds, I went out into the back garden and it was countryside and I went out the front gate and it was solid London. I loved it down there.

You were only at Selhurst a short time but you still made an impression on the club.
I’d like to think so in some ways but I certainly felt that there was a lot more to come from myself, I felt that I could have done a lot more, they never saw the full Mike Elwiss. Unfortunately with the injury that I got it was only on a handful of occasions that I could say that I was pleased with what I have done.

Having worked under a youthful boss in Terry Venables you must be interested in the fortunes of the respective managers of PNE and Palace, both of whom are young and ambitious.
I think that Billy Davies and his staff are doing are great job, a really good job. They haven’t had a lot of money to spend and they keep selling players and yet they are up in the Play-Off spots. I just hope they keep doing it because they should have gone up last year, they were the best side of the Play-Off contenders last year.

Palace’s Last Three League Visits To Deepdale

6th December 2003
PNE 4 -1 Palace
Eagles Player-Manager Kit Symons is sent off as second half goals from Etuhu, Alexander, Healy and Lewis defeat a Palace side who would later be promoted.

10th August 2002
PNE 1 – 2 Palace
Ricardo Fuller scores on his debut but Craig Brown’s first league match in charge ends in defeat after Eric Skora is given a red card on the opening day of the season.

24th November 2001
PNE 2 – 1 Palace
The Lilywhites are losing at half-time to a Freedman goal but at full-time it is 2-1 to Moyes’ PNE thanks to goals from Cresswell and Alexander.