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Next Away


Preston NE
Tuesday 30th September 2008 19:45

Address: Deepdale, Sir Tom Finney Way, Preston, PR1 6RU
Telephone:
0870 442 1964
Web Site:
www.pnefc.net

What's it Like?

From the last time we played Preston, the ground has been redeveloped. Each of the new stands has a likeness of a past player outlined on the seats and is named after that player. Tom Finney, Bill Shankly and on the latest stand to be built, goal-keeping legend Alan Kelly, Up to 6,000 away fans are in the Bill Shankly Stand at one end of the pitch. Normally the allocation for away fans is about half of this stand and it’s shared with home fans. The views of the playing action and facilities in this stand are excellent. The stand is steep, and fans are close to the pitch. On the concourse there are TVs by the refreshment serving areas showing the game live and the bars are open during the game. There is a wide range of food available including bacon rolls, roll over hot dogs, burgers and even vegetarian 'butter' pies. Preston fans like their footy and there’s always a good atmosphere in the ground. Cost of Entry: £20, Senior Citizens & under 21s £12, under 16s £5, under 8s free. Family Tickets: 1 Adult + 2 under 16s £25, 2 Adults + 2 under 16's £45. Alcohol is available at the ground.

 

The National Museum of Football is at Deepdale www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/ It is free admission and include the history of the game in Britain, along with how it has played a role in the social history of the nation. The Museum features an interactive gallery, where you can explore tactics, rules, equipment of the game. There’s a gallery charting the history of Deepdale, and one showing art and other visual items from the Museum's vast collection. The Museum will be open until 7.30pm.

Directions, Parking & Train   

Leave the M6 at Junction 31 and follow signs Left for Preston. Go up a steep hill (beware of speed cameras) and follow the road down to a mini roundabout (another speed camera by the BP garage). At the roundabout turn RIGHT. Go straight on over 3 sets of lights and just before a fourth set, the ground appears set back from the road on the left. Parking is mainly in the streets surrounding the ground. You could also try Moor Park High School, Moor Park Car Park, Hollins Road or Deepdale County Primary School, all are within 5 minutes of the stadium.
If you want to avoid a lot of the traffic, instead of leaving the M6 at Junction 31, carry on to Junction 31a (sign-posted, Preston East and Longridge). This is a limited junction as you can only leave northbound and join southbound. Keep in the right hand lane and go across the roundabout (sign-posted Preston east, Football Ground and Museum). Across the next roundabout and then LEFT at the next one. At the next lights, go RIGHT onto Watling Street. You will go past ‘The White Hart’ and a row of shops. At the next lights by Fulwood Barracks, keep in the left hand lane. You can either park in Sumners, (turn LEFT after the lights) or follow the road up to the big junction at Blackpool Road and the ground is on the left and use street parking. Sumners is probably better as you are the right side of the ground to get away quickly after the game. By Train: Preston station is about a 1½ miles from the ground and is a 25-minute walk, with some good pubs on the way (or a taxi fro about £3). By bus,
all buses at the railway station go to the bus station. From there, bus numbers 5, 6 and 19 run along Deepdale Road. The number 19 has the most frequent service. If you fancy the walk, leave the station through the main exit and turn RIGHT. After 50 yards turn LEFT down into Fishergate (a few take-aways). Go straight on at the next big traffic lights into Corporation Street. Continue on this road for sometime until you get to a big roundabout just before the University of Central Lancashire campus area. Turn RIGHT at the island and then LEFT up Moor Lane. After a while you will come to a church and a petrol station on the right. Then turn RIGHT into Moor Park and you head on directly for Deepdale, where you can see the floodlights in the distance.

What the Lilywhite Fans Think

Stephen Cole is the BBC Radio Lancashire commentator and involved with Whites World, the subscription internet service. He says “The best thing about Preston is that its home to the national football museum. It gets loads of visitors and away fans are full of enthusiasm after coming from there.

The displays and interactive side of it makes it a cracking place to visit. Sir Tom Finney still takes an active part at Preston, attending all the games and, being one of the greatest ever English players, people seeing him here gives us all a lift.

 The worst part of the club is the apathy of the Preston people. Having 8 premier league teams within 30 miles of us; it’s soul-destroying to see crowds of 12,000 when we are doing really, really well. As for the Swans game, at the moment we are in superb form I think it’ll be a home 2-0 win (with an away draw at the Liberty). As for the finish, we’ve spent 8 years in this division and looking at how we are now, we look good for an automatic promotion spot. Once we’re 10 games into the season, we’ll have a better idea then.” Atkypne says “The best thing about the club is Sir Tom Finney - PNE Legend also having one of the best recently finished ground in the country. The worse thing is having to sell our best players. My prediction for the game against the Swans is a 2-0 PNE win. With maybe one or two more signings in Jan, I think we'll finish 6th". Riggers says “Like us, you've worked your way back up from the bottom division; it doesn't seem al that long ago since we played you in the Cup, and we lost, thanks to a Lee Trundle goal. Like you, we have a spanking new ground, now, although we have re-developed on our existing site at Deepdale. And like you, we have a good up and coming manager Alan Irvine/Roberto Martinez. Both clubs are probably full of optimism, this season, so it should make for two good encounters. Player-wise, we probably don't know that much about your team. I've read that Martinez has brought it some Spanish players, which will be interesting; but you are obviously a bit in the dark about our players, too. Neil Mellor, is the one you have probably heard about - from his Liverpool days - but the rest aren't bad, and play well as a team. We've just got Jon Parkin (the Beast) from Stoke - he's a bit "who ate all the pies?", but deceptively skilful, and will probably be a danger man for us. Good luck to the Swans, this season; but not against us!”  Double J reckons “best thing about the club is the lack of money we have, but can still compete at the top with the so called "big boys". The worst thing: how we seem to play worse against the strugglers of the league. Prediction for the game is a 1-0 win to Preston, with the Swans playing us off the park, we scrape a win. If are strongest 11 stay fit, and a couple of solid signings, in and around the play offs, otherwise a mid table finish. Andy says “The best thing about the club is the ambition showed by Derek Shaw to have the stadium improved. Wonderful to see the completed thing since the Sir Tom Finney Stand opened. Wonderful achievement and will look fitting when we finally get back to the Premiership. The worse thing about the club is our league cup record. Every year we get beaten by a lower league team but the embarrassment this year to be beaten by Derby was awful. Against the Swans, I can only see a Preston win. We haven't lost at Deepdale on a Tuesday night for a long time. I think Preston will finish in the Play Offs. We have made a terrific start to the season and Alan Irvine has made some quality signings with the likes of Elliot and Parkin. We are playing Burnley the Saturday before our meeting so hopefully this will give the players a comfortable stroll before our game against the Swans. Good luck, not that you will need against the Dingles!!!!

 
Pubs and Grub
 

‘Legends’ is next to the ground; it’s a nightclub which opens up to fans on match-days. Away fans are always welcome. One of the best pubs for away fans is ‘The Toy Soldier’, on the Deepdale retail park, just off the Blackpool Road (A5085). The retail park & pub are on the RIGHT just before the ground. The pub is pretty big; and away fans mainly seem to use this pub. Another pub is ‘The Sumners’, further up the Tom Finney Way from the ground. There’s a big beer garden and car park here. Sometimes the pub charges for parking but refunds can be received with purchases at the bar. Good food is available and children are allowed in. To get there, pass Sainsburys turn RIGHT at the lights and it is half way up the hill, opposite ‘The Garrison’, which is a friendly, busy pub, welcoming away and home fans. Away fans should avoid the town centre pubs as the police will move you on quickly if they see you and most pubs will refuse to serve away fans. If you arrive by train, ‘The Vic and Station’ is close by. Another pub worth considering is The White Hart on Watling Road, about.500 yards east of Sumner's and the Garrison, past Fulwood Barracks. It does ‘Sizzling Platters’ and other good value and quality meals. Plenty of car parking and kids are welcome. ‘The Hesketh Arms’ is on the corner of Blackpool Road and New Hall Lane. It's a large pub, and is popular with away fans, and is about a mile from the ground. It serves meals all day, and also offers pool, darts and a large-screen TV. Clare's Pantry is a take-away on the corner of Sir Tom Finney Way, and St Stephen's Road, and serves good meat and potato pies, and many other tasty things.

 

Information compiled by Steve Griffiths

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