PRESTON NE: INVINCIBLES

I am dedicating this blog to Bernard, an "Invincibles" supporter; that means a follower of Preston North End. He's invincible too!

Preston North End, founded in 1863, originally as a cricket club playing at Ashton, later moved to Moor Park at the north of the town. North End became the football team of the late 1880s. On January 21st 1875, the club leased a field opposite Moor Park, the current site of Deepdale. The cricket club formed a winter rugby team two years later as fitness activity and a year later they changed their "code" to Football. In 1888/9, The Invincibles won the first "Double" in football; that is winning the First Division Football League Championship and the FA Cup in the same season. They won thre First Division P22 W18 D4 F74 A15. 

The Football League was founded in 1888-9, so the chance of doing the "Double" previously was not possible!!!!

However, sticking to my "on this day" formula, on September 15th 1887, Preston whopped Hyde United 26-0 at Deepdale, in the First Round of the Cup, still a record score, with eight Preston players finding the net. The club notched 56 FA Cup goals that season. Jimmy Ross scored 8 goals and 20 in all the cup ties that season. The team asked the Hyde goalie for his autograph after the game because he had played so well, seriously! The photo below is of PNE March 1888. This was the highest score in English senior football (at the time) and the highest in the FA Cup (still). 

Preston led the way in professionalism at this time, enticing players away from the mills and over the border, turning vigorous exercise into a science. Even signing Scots and bringing them across the border. As the Football League had been formed with twelve teams filling the season's fixture card, the amateurs were nearly a fading force. Can you name the original 12 FL members?

Some amateurs, including the Old Carthusians (old boys of Charterhouse School), were still shining bright in the FA Cup with the OCs gaining a First Round 5-0 win over Hanover United.

Preston then took two ties in the Second Round to beat Everton 6-1 but this game was announced to be "void" and they then had to play Bolton Wanderers, winning 9-1. What ever the circumstances , they won through. The Carthusians by this time beat Watford Rovers 3-1 away.

In Round Three, the Public Schoolboys beat the Old Brightonians, another "posh lot", some might say and Preston (the working class heroes) beat Halliwell 4-0.

Round Four saw the posh chaps get a Bye...favouritism for the elite classes obviously, but wait, Preston got one too. All is fair in the love of football and war.......

In Round Five Preston beat Aston Villa away 3-1. Preston prepared for this by spending a few days at Southport on the Lancashire coast, planning that was unsusual for clubs, as professionalism began.

The Old Carthusians beat Bootle 2-0.
Round Six-WBA 4 Old Carthusians 2;-Professionals versus Amateurs! Sheffield Wednesday 2 Preston 4. (Other ties Derby Junction 2 v Blackburn Rovers 1: Middlesbrough 0 v 2 Crewe Alexandra.
Preston beat Crewe Alexandra in the semi-final 4-0. Albion beat Derby Junction 3-0. Preston then fell at the final fence losing the West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Kennington Oval on March 24; 19,000 watched the game. So confident were the Preston team of winning, that they asked if they could have a photo taken of them with the cup before the game. Referee and FA President Major Francis Marindin suggested that they should win it first. He was right.

Preston eventually did the double the following season, but that is a story for another day.