03-02-2016, 17:33
PRESTON NORTH END v HUDDERSFIELD TOWN......SAT 6th FEB.....K.O 15:00
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DEEPDALE
BUILT: 1875
CAPACITY: 24,500
Deepdale stadium is widely recognised as being the oldest “continuously used” football stadium in the world. But like most coveted historic accolades, it is fiercely contested. Its principal challenger is Bramall Lane stadium in Sheffield. Bramall Lane was actually constructed 20 years before Deepdale but as piqued Lancastrians are keen to stress, Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground not a football stadium.
Undeterred, Bramall’s supporters sneer at the fragility of Deepdale’s “continuous use” claim by pointing out that the ground was used as a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Defiant Preston North Enders retort that prisoners play football.
Today, all four original stands have been replaced by modern structures and like all English stadiums, capacity is now a fraction of that accommodated during the days of standing terraces (53,000). The record attendance was 42,684 for a Division One clash with Arsenal in April 1938.
SEASON SO FAR
It's fair to say Herr David Wagner has transformed the club on and off the pitch.
His style of play comes from Borussia Dortmund and is known as "Gegenpressing"... the German word "gegen" meaning to counter. In other words, pressing is intense and organised and flips defending into counter attacking rapidly to catch the opposition defence disorganised.
Our current form is patchy however. Throughout January, including cup games, we have only won twice (Bolton away and Charlton home). We have lost three, all coming in the last 3 games. Two draws made it a busy month.
We sit 17th in the table, 7 points from the drop. Although fairly recently we have been looking up more than down, if this current form continues we might just have to look t'other way.
Preston come into this game on the back of a good 0-0 draw away at Derby on Tue. In the last 10 league games, they have 4 wins and 3 losses (inc to Town on Boxing day).
Their home form is not great. Out of 8 league wins this season, only 4 have come at home.
OUR OPPONENTS
The club was a founding member of the Football League and completed the inaugural season unbeaten to become the first league champions, in the same season winning the FA Cup without conceding a goal to become the first club to achieve the English football "Double".
They won the title again the next year, but have not won it since.
Preston's most recent major trophy success was their FA Cup victory over Huddersfield Town in 1938.
Based on results achieved in the Football League from 1888–89 to 2014–15, Preston were ranked as the fourth most-successful English football club of all time domestically, while only Notts County had played more Football League games than Preston.
Preston North End was originally founded as a cricket club in 1863. As Preston already had a town rugby club, they adopted the "North End" suffix because they moved to the North End of the town.
Preston were relegated to the Second Division in 1961 and have not played in the top division since. Preston won promotion to the Championship after beating Swindon Town 4–0 in the League One play-off Final on 24 May 2015, having failed in their previous nine appearances in the play-offs (a record).
FAMILIAR NAMES
There is a glut of old players and management staff from Dirty L666s, and a fair few from Huddersfield.
Ex Huddersfield Town include Simon Grayson, Jermaine Beckford, Joe Garner, Calum Woods, Glynn Snodin, and Steve Thompson
SHEP's TEAM
STEER
SMITH LYNCH HUDSON HUSBAND
MATMOUR HOGG PATERSON HUWS BUNN
WELLS
SMITH LYNCH HUDSON HUSBAND
MATMOUR HOGG PATERSON HUWS BUNN
WELLS
In beer there is freedom, in wine there is health, in cognac there is power and in water there is bacteria
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