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the origins of the PNE
Preston North End were founded as a cricket club in 1863 and the cricket team played their first game in the summer of 1863 at 'The Marsh'. The club soon adopted the suffix 'North End' as they were based in the north end of Preston.The club gradually adopted association football, and on 5 October 1878 they played their first match. In May 1880 they made the decision to permanently adopt the association code. and they still played cricket during the summer months. -
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rapid development
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. Major William Sudell's plan was to 'import' top players from other areas, primarily Scotland,rather than rely on local talent like other clubs. The identity of the club's first Scottish player was James McDade. Since he was coming to the end of his career his main influence was as North End's first coach and strategist. -
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continued development
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.The Football League was founded in 1888; North End were one of the founder members and went on to make history. -
rise of invincible
In the League's first season (1888-89), North End were inaugural league champions, achieving the feat without losing a matchOn 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. -
Began to fall behind
Despite the Invincibles team being gradually dismantled, Preston continued to perform well in the league. 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. -
Pre-war problem
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. -
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rise and fall
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 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. -
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Between the war
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.
James Isherwood Taylor, who had been at the helm of the club, being banned from the club by the FA after he had made illegal approaches for players, -
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Between the war Ⅰ
Despite lean times in the league, North End very nearly experienced glory in the FA Cup.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. -
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between the war Ⅱ
At many points during the club's nine seasons in Division Two, relegation seemed quite likely, but Taylor averted this potential disaster by signing two forwards from Tottenham Hotspur in the winter of 1931. In 1932-33, Harper scored 37 goals, a club record which still stands. Jimmy Milne and Bill Shankly both prove great servants to the club, performing admirably in the First Division and reaching the FA Cup final in 1938. This was the last time North End won a major domestic trophy. -
The appearance of Tom Finney
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. -
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Finney era
Finney continued to play for the club, and the following year he almost reaped his reward. 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. Preston North End have not returned to the top flight of English football since. -
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Beginning of the decline
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. 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. 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. -
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Hart time
Docherty in early December 1981 lead his side to just three wins in 17 league games. 1982-83, North End's form soon collapsed, leaving them in danger of relegation.1984-85 saw North End relegated, shipping exactly 100 goals. Booth soon resigned and Kidd took the reins, but things failed to improve.1994-95,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. -
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Leaving the lower leagues
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.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.In 2000, Preston North End finally made their return to the second tier of the Football League, after an absence of almost twenty years. -
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Waiting for the Premier League
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.On 28 March, striker David 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. -
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Managerial Merry Go Round
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. The 2009–2010 season started brightly for the team with a good run of results early on. Phil Brown was appointed as manager of Preston,with Brian Horton as his assistant on 2011. Preston finished 21st in the table, putting them back into League One for the first time for eleven years.Westley went about overhauling the squad ahead of the 2012–13 season.
