There are a few players in recent history who have pulled on the tangerine or white shirt shirt in the West Lancashire derby; the likes of Tony Ellis, David Eyres and Micky Flynn spring to mind. But the most recent to do so is North End legend Michael Jackson who played 288 times for PNE in seven seasons at the club.

The classy centre-half who notched 19 goals for PNE during his spell here is now at Shrewsbury Town aiming to achieve promotion with the Shrews from League Two with former PNE boss Paul Simpson following his departure from Blackpool this summer.

Jacko played in North End's last win over the tangerines, back in 1999 when a David Eyres brace and a Michael Appleton strike helped the Whites to a 3-0 victory, for the players at that time though it was another three points towards the title.

"Obviously it's huge for the fans but it never seemed like a massive scalp for the players because at the time Blackpool weren't any threat to us at all in the league and we just thought of it as another three points towards promotion. But obviously we appreciated it for the fans with the atmosphere etc," he told pne.com.

"Eyresy's free-kick was his trademark, he had that in his locker all the time and was without a doubt one of the best players I played with, he could have played at a higher level definitely but possibly got into the game a bit too late, but a great player, definitely."

That side went on to be one of the most successful PNE sides of the last decade, winning the Division Two Championship in 2000 and Jacko was part of the squad that were ninety minutes away from the Premiership the following season.

"Everyone in that team had the standard, I mean the training was ferocious, if you did anything wrong or there was anything messed up people were on your back but in a good way," he said.

"But everyone could handle it, nowadays when players get on your back some of them crumble but we had a great manager, good coach and there were also a lot of strong characters in the team."

Last year of course the former Bury and Tranmere defender lined up on the tangerine side of the divide and he admitted that it was a strange experience returning to the club where he had so much success.

"It was a bit strange coming back last season, especially when you've been part of a couple of successful teams and you go back and you hope you get a decent reception and it's hard to tell but I think I got a half-decent reception," he told pne.com.

"Derbies wouldn't be what they were if you didn't go back there and got a bit of stick but I think PNE fans will know that when I was there I did quite well. Players are playing for the club but we're also playing forourselves as well, for your own pride and I think fans understand that you always do the best for the team that you're in and I've always done that."

North End failed to score in over 180 minutes of football against 'pool and only a penalty separated the two rivals at Deepdale. The rain at Deepdale and the wind at Bloomfield Road influenced the closed nature of the games and Jacko agrees with this assessment.

"I thought both games were affected massively by the weather - the wind at Blackpool and the rain at Deepdale. It would be good if there were some decent conditions but Blackpool are going to be hard to beat for Preston, it's a hard place to go where not many teams get a result," he commented.

"But as everyone always say derbies are a one-off where no-one wants to give anything away so it'll be interesting to see what comes out of it."



Of the Deepdale game Jacko said: "It poured down before the game and then I was ill so I had to come off with about twenty minutes to go but then Wes dinked the penalty and that's him all over really."

North End's season got a bit of a fillip last weekend with the point at Norwich City and the performance in the final half-hour when three points was on the cards, such was their dominance. Blackpool meanwhile lost to Norwich's rivals' Ipswich Town but Jacko thinks PNE should be wary of the tangerine threat.

"Blackpool will be smarting a bit because they got beat last week so Preston are going to be in for a difficult game. The games are always tight and teams don't want to lose so they're not as open and the teams are quite evenly matched," he explained.

Both sides have had contrasting starts to the season but find themselves comfortably in the middle of the table. A good run from either side could transform their campaign going into the busy Christmas period.

"Anyone can put a run together but it's keeping players in form and having goal-scorers I think Preston have struggled though with the goals compared to the teams at the top who have got people banging them in left right and centre," Jacko told pne.com.

"Alan's a top manager and he had only been at PNE for a couple of games before last season's game at Deepdale but now he has some of his own players it's looking better for PNE, in spite of the recent sticky patch."

North End have featured in the Play-Offs on three occasions since their promotion in 2000 but the centre back thinks North End fans may have to patient if they want to see further appearances in the end-of-season lottery.

"Most Preston fans probably think they should be in the top four or five all season but if you look at the resources and cash that's spent in that league it's not always possible especially if you look at the players that they've lost since they were last in the Play-Offs," Jacko said.

"So Irvine has to rebuild the team when he doesn't have the finances and Preston fans do have quite high expectations, which isn't wrong at all, but I think it's unrealistic for them to expect to see the side in the top three or four consistently because that's probably not possible."