A Legend will be born!
Friday 19th February 2010
Posted by prestonsg
Well the big day is nearly here and to hear some talk we might be needing a calculator by 5:00pm on Saturday. I wonder what old Alan Ball Senior is thinking as he looks down from above contemplating North Ends fate on Gentry Day.
Maybe he is thinking about his team of Lambs that were meant to go to slaughter at Fulham 39 years ago. Maybe he is incandescent with rage at the fact that footballers earning 10k a week are moaning about starting work at 9:00am in the morning. Jesus Christ bloody Bally would have sorted them out and no messing for he had a team who fought for each other and who had self respect. Against all the odds those boys went into a Lions Den with the League trophy proudly displayed in the stand ready to be presented to Fulham who (like Newcastle on Saturday) were a "home banker" to see off little Preston. Fortunately the history books tells us that 11 men took to the field with their hearts pumping so fast you could see the PP badge bounding on their chest.
Alan Kelly, George Ross, Jim McNab, John Bird, Graham Hawkins, Alan Spavin, Ricky Heppolette, Bobby Ham, Norrie Lloyd, Alex Spark and Clive (Chippy) Clark.
Don`t talk to me about any of the current group being legends but everyone of those boys listed above will have their name enshrined in Deepdale history for their historic, heroic performance on a day when nobody gave them a prayer. I often wonder that at 3:00pm that day if Ricky Heppolette was thinking to himself that he could be a Preston legend by 4:45. He probably didn`t but by the time Alan Ball kissed the pitch after Mr Gow blew his whistle Ricky Heppolette was indeed a Preston legend.
So.........Lonergan, Jones, St Ledger, Mawene, Williams, Sedgwick, James, Coutts, Wallace, Parkin, Welbeck, Collins, Hart, Chilvers, Henderson, Carter, Mellor, Brown.........AND ANYBODY ELSE BEING FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO PULL ON THAT SHIRT WITH THE PRESTON NORTH END BADGE ON IT.
WILL YOU BE A PRESTON LEGEND BY 5:00PM ON SATURDAY EVENING ?
Before you kick off take a look behind you on the 7th tier of the Leazes end. Have a few seconds and look at the 2,800 people who, in this crowd of 45,000, are desperate for you to bring some pride back into their lives. Quite a lot of you earn more in two weeks than a lot of those people earn in a year but they have probably coughed up about 100 quid each (on average - some much more) to come and give their all for you.
You might also notice that some are wearing bowler hats - if you don`t know this is Gentry Day for North End and it`s a day on whcih we remember North Enders old and new who have passed away. The fans are showing them respect and it`s time some of you showed some respect to us by way of your commitment on the field of play.
Keep your heads clear, be positive and decisive....it`s Newcastle we are playing not Chelsea or Barcelona - but above all else DO NOT SHIRK YOUR RESPONSIBILTY AS PLAYING CUSTODIANS OF OUR STILL GREAT CLUB. THE PP ON THE TOWNS CREST STANDS FOR "PROUD PRESTON" - MAKE DAMN SURE YOU REMEMBER THAT.
We only ask 100% effort and commitment....if you give that we will be satisfied. If you give more well who knows what could happen..........
.....and maybe, just maybe, somewhere along the line a legend will be born.
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Thanks to our very own John Roper for this brilliant post taken from pne-online.
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