Preston North End: An away supporters' guide

RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.

THE OPPO – Preston North End, aka “The Lillywhites”
DATE – Saturday 23rd August
KO TIME – 5.35pm (to facilitate Sky telly coverage)

THE GROUND – Deepdale, Sir Tom Finney Way, Preston, click here for a map, the red circle in the middle highlights where the ground is, zoom in and out using the controls on the left of the screen.

Deepdale is just to the north of Preston town centre, in the Moor Park area of town and just off the A6063. And it’s not all that far away from HMP Preston if you misbehave.

GOING BY CAR?

Unless you live in north-west England anyway it’s a bit of a pain – travelling from the north-east, you’ve got a choice of routes but you’ve got to cross them thar hills at some point. The A1 down to Pontefract then onto the M62, M61 then M6, OR the A66 and A685 to Tebay then down the M6 to Preston are the most obvious routes unless you fancy a country ramble - unlikely for a midweek evening game though…. Approaching from the south it’s more straightforward but a long hike nonetheless.

Once you’re on the M6, leave at jcn 31 and follow signs for Preston and proceed on up the hill – be warned though, one of the Preston fan-sites highlights this as a stretch favoured by the long arm of the law holding a speed camera, so go easy unless you want a souvenir speed ticket. When you get to the roundabout overlooked by the Hesketh Arms, turn right onto Blackpool Road – before long you’ll see the floodlights for Deepdale on the left. You’ll arrive at a major road juntion where you should turn left at the traffic lights, onto Sir Tom Finney Way.

You can park at Moor Park (facing the ground on your right) or there’s limited on-street parking, and some local schools offer secure parking for a couple of quid. If you can’t find a space, head back out of town and use the ‘Soccerbus’ park and ride scheme.

GOING BY TRAIN?

If you get the 13.24 from Newcastle station, you’d change at Carlisle 1hr 20mins later, and end up in Preston just after 4pm – plenty of time for a pint and some nosh before kickoff. Coming back, however, isn’t so easy – you leave Preston at 8.21pm, change at Manchester at 9.20, again at York at 11.15pm and you don’t get back into Newcastle until twenty to one on the Sunday morning. Nice.
If you’re approaching from the south using the West Coast mainline, however, you could be in for trouble; there’ll be major engineering work going on affecting that line during August – the Virgin Trains website has all the details.
Go to the National Rail website to see what trains are available for that day.

If you do decide to let the train take the strain, you leave Preston station by the large glass doors by the ticket office. Walk up the hill and turn right at the main road, cross the station approach road and you’re onto a road called Fishergate. Walk along Fishergate then downhill along Church Street until you reach the junction with the ring road. Cross the ring road and turn left onto Deepdale Road; after 5-10 mins walk it becomes Sir Tom Finney Way, and the ground’s on your right.
If you can’t be arsed to walk, you can get a taxi outside the station and the journey to the ground will set you back about a fiver.

SCRAN AND BOOZE

The Sumners welcomes both sets of supporters – you’ll find it by walking past the stadium up Sir Tom Finney Way, straight on at the lights and you’ll see a Sainsburys on the right; carry on up that hill, pass the garage and The Sumners pub is on the right, or The Garrison, opposite.
A lot of away fans also use the “Toy Soldier” pub/restaurant which you’ll find at Deepdale Retail Park.

Preston North End run their own catering services inside the ground, with the usual array of pies, burgers, drinks etc on offer. Note, though that there is no alcohol on sale inside the ground at any time.

LEND US A FIVER…

The Halifax have a cash machine at the ground itself or there’s a Co-Op Bank machine within the Co-Op store on Harewood Road, not far from the ground. At the Sainsburys we mentioned earlier, there are Abbey National, Royal Bank of Scotland and Sainsburys Bank cash machines, so no shortage of places to get at your dosh.

IN THE NEWS

Jamaican centre-back Claude Davis has just signed a one-year loan deal at Preston but needs a work permit.

PNE Player Mark Wright has just retired at the ripe old age of 21 due to a recurring hip problem.

PNE have warned Peter Reid they won’t let striker Ricardo Fuller go to Leeds Utd unless it’s for “a very large sum of money”.

LAST SEASON

Final league position – 12th of 24
P 46 W16 D13 L17 F68 A70 Pts 61

HEAD TO HEAD

Preston and Sunderland have met 100 times in league matches and we've won nearly half of those – 43 to be precise; Preston have won 28, with 29 draws.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

23/08/95 Lads 3, Preston 2 (Howey (2), Kidd) – league cup
15/08/95 Preston 1, Lads 1 (Angell) – league cup
13/02/88 Preston 2, Lads 2 – old Div III
28/12/87 Lads 1, Preston 1 – old Div III
16/02/80 Preston 2, Lads 1 – old Div II

TRIVIA

- Best league win: 10-0 vs Stoke City in September 1889.
- Worst league defeat: 0-7 vs Blackpool in May 1948.
- Record transfer fee paid: £1.5m to Man Utd for David Healy (December 2000)
- Record transfer fee received: £1.25m from West Brom, for one Kevin Kilbane (June 97)
- Preston’s current manager is Craig Brown, the former manager of the Scottish national team
- Our own Kevin Kilbane (formerly a Preston player) married the daughter of one-time Preston coach Steve Harrison – now a coach at Boro.
- Deepdale is home to the National Football Museum
- Preston hold the record for the longest residency at a single ground of any club in the League.

Credits: PNE official website, ‘WTJOTP’ (PNE fansite), Rough Guide to English Football, Soccerbase, www.multimap.co.uk, National Rail, Virgin Trains.

Cotterill: I don't hold a grudge with Sunderland

Former Sunderland assistant manager Steve Cotterill has backed Sunderland to win their Carling Cup first round match against Mansfield Town tonight, and wished the club well.

Cotts told Sky Sports, "I don't hold any grudges with anyone at Sunderland - there are some great lads there. It just didn't happen for me at Sunderland, I hope it happens for Mick (McCarthy).

"A win tonight will let them show what good players they really are. It'll be nice if they can get a win tonight, nice if they win on Saturday - then maybe everyone can leave them alone for a while!

And Cotts praised Sunderland supporters, saying "they're second to none - travelling support especially. They stick by their club through thick and thin."

Healy chooses Sunderland - report

Press Association is reporting this afternoon that former Celtic midfielder Colin Healy, currently on trial with Peter Reid's Leeds United at Thorp Arch, has decided to sign for Sunderland when the wrangle over compensation payments has been settled.

Sunderland and Celtic are currently waiting for FIFA to announce their decision on the matter.

Reid decided not to pick Healy to play in Leeds' final friendly against Harrogate Town at Wetherby Road last night - a match which Reid's team won 4-1.

The Yorkshire team's financial situation is said to be so bad that Reid is restricted to only taking on players who are available on a free transfer or loan basis.

Leeds have given Serbia and Montenegro international Goran Tobrok a trial at the club, and they have also announced the signing of Marseilles striker Lamine Sakho on loan, although Reid will have the option to sign the player permanently at any time during his trial, for £3m.

Quinny gets his gong

Niall Quinn has today received his honourary MBE in a ceremony in Ireland - click here for photograph from Thomas Crosbie Media and here for a photograph from BBC News.

The Sunderland legend received his gong from the British Ambassador to Ireland, Stuart Eldon, at the Ambassador's residence in Ballsbridge, Dublin (reports that the Ambassador served Ferrero Rocher are, as yet, unsubstantiated). He was accompanied to the ceremony by his wife Gillian, children Aisling and Mikey, his parents Mary and Billy, and Gillian's father Michael Roe.

The Big Man said after the ceremony, "I was very surprised and very humbled really.

“It coincided with my move back to Ireland. I’d had such a good time in the UK. It was a smashing end to almost 20 years there.

"England was very good to me, I had some great times there, and my children were born there. I had a wonderful life in England."

Niall added that he knew many sportsmens' careers had faded in their final playing years, but said "I was absolutely sure that wasn't going to happen to me.

"I left Sunderland before they got relegated. It would have been hard, I think, to stay for that year so may be that was a good decision", but followed up that statement by saying it had been a "wrench" to leave Sunderland, and he'd returned to his native Ireland proud of what he achieved in the north-east, adding that while playing for Sunderland he saw a passion and a pride that he hadn't seen at any other club.

Eldon said "I was delighted to be able to present this award to Niall Quinn.

"It has been said that sportsmen don’t build character – they reveal it.

"Today, we congratulate a sportsman widely admired throughout these islands whose character and achievements are a real example to us all.”

Niall - Ireland's all time top scorer, donated the entire £1m+ proceeds of his 2002 testimonial match to hospitals in Dublin and Sunderland and some to childrens' charities in Calcutta, was described at the ceremony as "an ambassador for football".

Flo hasn't been told to go!

Mick McCarthy has confirmed today that mis-fit striker Tore Andre Flo is not one of the squad members told at the end of last season that he has no future at Sunderland.

And McCarthy said he will be making efforts to get the Norwegian involved in regular action.

Flo has been advised by the head coach of the Norwegian national team, Nils Johan Semb, that to retain his international berth he needs to be playing football in one of the top European leagues - but Flo's agent says his client isn't at all bothered about being demoted to Sunderland reserves.

McCarthy said today, "Tore’s going to be involved. He’s not been shunted to one side, and I’ve spoken to Michael Gray on a similar theme.

"We’ve got a lot of outfield players at the club and they need games. It would be silly just to play the same group.”

"(Tore) has certainly not been told that he has no part to play at the club."

Thornton speaks about his lie-in

Sleepy-head Sean Thornton has been telling the Irish media about his unexpected lie-in last Saturday morning - and his even more unexpected 90 minute sit in the stands while the rest of his colleagues played against Nottingham Forest.

Thornton and Jeff Whitley room together on away trips, and both players missed the bus to the squad's Saturday morning training session in Nottinghamshire, then found that manager Mick McCarthy had decided to punish them by dropping them for the team's first division opening fixture.

Thornton said today, "I was a spectator in the stand.

"It was awful because I know I could have helped the side and got stuck in with them. But the manager did not include me because I let him and my team mates, and our brilliant supporters down.

"He was right to exclude me, but it doesn't help when you've lost."

McCarthy was quick to draw a line under the episode after the match, stating "It's finished with now - it's done."

Both Thornton and Whitley are expected to be involved in tonight's Carling Cup match at Mansfield Town.

Mansfield Town: An away supporter's guide

RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.

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THE OPPO – Mansfield Town, aka “The Stags”
DATE – Wednesday 13th August
KO TIME – 7.45pm
*Also on Sky Sports 2*

THE GROUND – Field Mill Ground, Quarry Lane, Mansfield NG18 5DA, click here for a map, the arrow in the middle points to where the ground is.

Field Mill is close to Mansfield town centre, just off the A60 Nottingham Road and very close to the local railway station. Away supporters are allocated tickets in the Quarry Lane end.

GOING BY CAR?

The M1 runs relatively close to Mansfield, so it’s one of the easiest and hopefully fastest routes to go for from the north-east (A1 all the way to the M1, or A1, M18, M1 – whichever route takes your fancy) . Leave at jcn 28 and take the A38 signposted Mansfield, for 4 miles (you’ll pass through Sutton-in-Ashfield on the way). At the King’s Mill roundabout go straight ahead, then turn right at the next major crossroads, then second left (the left turn after you’ve crossed the railway line) into Quarry Lane and the ground is about a mile ahead on the left. On-street parking is, apparently, not too much of a problem.

GOING BY TRAIN?

Mansfield is a stop on the ‘Robin Hood Line’ which links Nottingham with Worksop, so you’ll need to travel to one of those two stations first, then change for Mansfield (you can get a direct train to Nottingham from London St Pancras, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool). A word of warning though – there are limited connections from Mansfield after an evening kickoff, check the details before you set off. Go to the National Rail website to see what trains are available for that day. And make sure you don’t end up on a train to Mansfield Woodhouse….close, but no cigar – but a two mile hike to get on with.

Mansfield station is very close to the Field Mill ground - you can see the ground itself when you leave the station. Follow the signs to Stockwell Gate and the bus station, down the steps, left along the dual carriageway and straight on at the first set of lights, along Portland Street – turn right at the next lights into Quarry Lane.

SCRAN AND BOOZE

The Early Doors is the closest pub to the ground, at the junction of Quarry Lane and Nottingham Road. 5-10 minutes’ walk away on Nottingham Road are The Plough (good selection of beers and good food) and The Famous Talbot (both with a good selection of beers and good food). The Lord Byron is at the opposite end of Quarry Lane to the ground and if you approach from the M1 jcn 28, this is the last pub you pass before you get to the ground. Avoid the Victoria and Red Lion pubs.

For fast food there’s a KFC between Safeway and Curry’s on Nottingham Road, and close to that – on Park Lane Road – there’s the obligatory McDonalds. There’s a chippy and a Chinese just down from The Famous Talbot pub – oh, and more pubs in the Market Square in Mansfield town itself.

Or if you stop at Tibshelf services on the M1 (between jcns 28 and 29) it’s relatively new, very clean and well-organised, and has several options for nosh – Wimpy, a KFC-lookalike thing, Costa Coffee and the usual standard motorway services café and ‘sells-everything’ shop with sarnies, pasties, crisps, sweets, pop etc.

LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH

The Safeway on Nottingham Road has Abbey National and Royal Bank of Scotland cash machines, and there’s also one in the ‘One Stop’ shop on Moor Lane, or stop at the aforementioned Tibshelf Services before you leave the M1 and there are cash machines in with the shops/eateries.

IN THE NEWS

They’ve just signed central defender Tony Vaughan from Motherwell.

They recently beat Premiership side Man City 2-1 in a pre-season friendly

They’ve decided not to field a team in the coming season’s reserve league, opting for a string of friendly matches instead.

LAST SEASON

Final league position – 23rd of 24 – relegated to Div III
P 46 W12 D8 L26 F66 A97 Pts 44

HEAD TO HEAD

Mansfield and Sunderland have only met 4 times previously, all in league matches; and we’ve won them all.

LAST MEETINGS

26/04/88: Mansfield 0, Lads 4 (old Div III)
31/08/87: Lads 4, Mansfield 1 (old Div III)
18/03/78: Lads 1, Mansfield 0 (old Div II)
22/10/77: Mansfield 1, Lads 2 (old Div II)

TRIVIA

- Best league win: 9-2 vs Rotherham back in December 1932.
- Worst league defeat: 1-8 vs Walsall in January 1933.
- Record transfer fee paid: £150,000 to Carlisle for Lee Peacock (October 97)
- Record transfer fee received: £655,000 from Spurs, for Colin Calderwood (July 93)
- They started life as a cricket team; in 1840 the Greenhalgh family founded a cricket club in Mansfield (they ran a cotton mill and named the ground after it – hence ‘Field Mill’) and some years later branched out, founding Greenhalgh FC which eventually became Mansfield Town FC.
- Field Mill is one of the oldest football grounds in the world, footy has been played there since 1861
- In the 74/75 season, they scored over 100 goals during the season (all competitions)

Credits: Mansfield Town official website, Stagsonline.com, Rough Guide to English Football, Soccerbase, www.streetmap.co.uk, National Rail.

Your chance to do something about racism in football

National anti-racism week of action in football, 16 – 28 October

This October professional footballers, their clubs, community groups and fans everywhere will join forces and unite behind Kick It Out for the anti- racism week of action.

Last year, all 92 professional clubs organised an event as part of the week alongside 300 community groups, school and libraries. This year the week will be bigger, involving more grassroots, amateur, youth and community organisations.

To help you plan activities as part of the week, Kick It Out has available 30 separate grants of up to £1,000 each and countless T-shirts, badges, stickers, etc.

If you want to apply for the 2003 Community Chest Grants or resources, just send an e-mail with your address to info@kickitout.org and you’ll get more details – the deadline for grants is August 22nd.

If you’re looking for ideas as a football fan, try the following:

- Produce an anti-racist leaflet to distribute at a game,
- Work with the club on their anti-racism game during the period,
- Volunteer to help distribute badges, stickers, fanzines outside your stadium,
- Organise a pre-match activity, such as an anti-racism fans friendly,
- Design an display anti-racism banners around the ground,
- Work with a local ethnic minority group to organise an event.

Look out for the United Colours of Football fanzine during the week and check out what’s going on where www.kickitout.org