When the likes of Kevin Kilbane, Mark Lawrenson and most recently David Nugent were given the chance to leave Deepdale in order to make their fame and fortune, most supporters were happy to see them given a chance of a rapid ascent into the big time.
For Nigel Jemson, however, his move to the top was a little less straightforward.
After coming through the YTS ranks and enjoying a couple of successful seasons in John McGrath's first team, he eventually left for a dream £150,000 move to Nottingham Forest in March 1988.
Though he briefly returned on loan a couple of years later, an element of the North End support never forgave the youngster for his apparent desire to leave the club, and he was infamously subjected to boos on his Deepdale homecoming in January 1992 for an FA Cup tie with today's opponents Sheffield Wednesday.
"To say I was disappointed was an understatement," he claimed. "I didn't get a good reception which surprised me, as I thought they'd have been keen to see a local lad come through and go on to reach the top level but it wasn't to be.
"It wasn't very nice for my family or myself and it left a bitter taste, but I don't hold any grudge towards the club and I loved my time at Preston."
Jemson prefers to think back to those happier early days in his fledgling career, which eventually took in sixteen senior clubs - the most recent being Ilkeston Town in the UniBond Premier Division where he is currently first team manager.
"I was playing junior football for Bamber Bridge when Preston picked me up. I'd been on trial with a few other clubs like Blackpool and Blackburn but I remember going for trials during the summer at Preston with people like Alan Spavin and Alan Kelly there, and I signed for them on schoolboy forms.
"I made my debut for the first team at Aldershot when I was 16, at the end of the 1985/86 season when we were going through all the turmoil of re-election. Getting into the side showed I was dedicated enough to achieve what I wanted, but though I'd reached my goal by signing as a pro I still wasn't fully happy because I really wanted to get further up that ladder.
"A few clubs started to show an interest in me - Norwich had a £100,000 bid turned down and there was talk that Man Utd and Liverpool wanted me.
"I eventually went to have two days on trial at Utd, but I only really wanted to play for Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest, so I asked John McGrath if there was any interest there. One night while I was at Utd I got a call from Clough and I signed the next day.
"Clough was definitely the best manager I've played for, and he was ideal for me because he was renowned for giving chances to youngsters. I've no regrets about turning down Manchester United - I know that the move wasn't right for me at the time.
"Once I was established at Forest I had a great time and scored the winning goal in the League Cup final for them at Wembley, but I was left out of the FA Cup final team in 1991 in favour of Teddy Sheringham and I reckoned my time was up.
"Wednesday were interested in me and I thought I could further my career there under Trevor Francis. I played in a great game against Man Utd when I got two goals to end their long winning run, but while I was there I had a bad car crash which knocked me back a bit, and other players arrived in my place. I didn't want to be a squad player so I moved on again, and played the rest of my career in the lower leagues."
Arguably the highlight in the twilight of his playing days came in January 2003, when a brace of goals helped Shrewsbury - his final Football League club - to knock Everton out of the FA Cup. Relegation to the Conference later that year ultimately led Jemson into the non-league game with a club that seemed just about perfect for him, and the right place to start a new chapter in his footballing life.
"I like to think I've done a lot in my career, playing for two big clubs in Forest and Wednesday, as well as playing for England under 21s. I've been around a lot but I've always had a base in Nottingham. I got married down here and I'm settled with my wife and two kids. It's a fantastic place to live and I go and watch Forest all the time.
"In hindsight I should never have left them but I've got no regrets. I've enjoyed my time in the game, and it's not bad that I've had 23 years in the game so far with many achievements. After leaving Shrewsbury I had a year at Ballymena but they couldn't afford to keep me, so the opportunity then arose to go to Ilkeston.
"I had a lot of friends at the club from my Forest days so I'd always knew I'd go there if I ended up playing non-league. The chairman bent over backwards to help me, and after a while he offered me the job of player-manager. It's a hard job but I'm sure it gets easier the higher up you go.
"Like my playing days, I'm learning my trade in the lower leagues. I don't know if the chance to manage at a higher level will come along, but if it does you've just got to take it."
