Preston North End fans over the ages have had the privilege of watching many white-shirted players go on to represent their countries at international level.

England, Ireland and Scotland obviously feature heavily on this list but in 1995 a 6'4 goalkeeper arrived and broadened the map of international North Enders.

Tepi Moilanen was the man and the Town End soon took to him, chanting 'Finland's Number One' from his debut onwards.

In an exclusive interview with pne.com the giant goalkeeper says that moving to Lancashire was an easy decision at the time.

"It was quite easy for me compared to some other players who went to Holland, at least I had the language, which made it a lot easier for me.

"Preston were a successful club during that season and it was easy to come to a winning club at that time which was well-organised.

"It was relatively easy and the people were friendly so it went pretty smoothly."

But the first Scandinavian player to walk the Deepdale turf admits that there was an element of risk to the move.

"My knowledge of English football in general was limited so I had little idea of third division football but it was a big move for me.

"Preston were a very ambitious club and it was an easy step to make, it was a big step forward but it was a step into the unknown so to speak.

"Coming from a limited Finnish culture it was totally new to me, getting introduced to that and the passion of the fans was something totally new to me and very enjoyable.

"Like I say PNE were going through a successful period so it made it even more special for myself in a club that was winning all the time and going forward."



Moilanen made his debut for the whites against Lincoln City on January 20 1996 but only kept goal for North End once more that season and five in the following season.

He supplemented his early appearances with two loan spells on the east coast at Scarborough and Darlington in 1996 and 1997 with more experienced heads ahead of him in the race to be North End's number one.

John Vaughan, Bobby Mimms and Kelham O'Hanlon kept the young keeper out of the side in his first two years at Deepdale and it was only in PNE's second season (1997/98) in division two that he established himself as the number one.

And surprisingly for Moilanen, one of only four players to have been in both the Division Three and Division Two championship winning squads (Paul McKenna, Lee Cartwright and Ryan Kidd being the others), it is the 1996 triumph that provokes happier memories.

"I still think that the celebrations and the atmosphere at the party for the third division win was possibly the highlight of my stay, it was the first real success that Preston had had in years and I rate it higher than the second division promotion.

"It was a long time coming, the people had waited for it, it was the first success, the second one was more professional and expected and in a way it was a different atmosphere with the old ground still there with three old stands. It was a more homely and family-like atmosphere with the first promotion."

Tepi is now studying education and learning in Finland and coaches Finland's under 16 goalkeepers as well. Eager to pursue a career in human resources, the former North End number 1 recognises that it took him a while to settle in and establish himself at the Club.

"Footballing-wise it took a while for me to get used to the style of football, everyone made me feel welcome but in terms of football it took me a while to get used to the tempo, and the loan spells at Darlington and Scarborough helped when I was playing more regularly and I was able to learn more.

"I started to find a bit more rhythm when David Moyes took over and more consistency especially in the promotion year which was the most consistent year for me, we had Kelham O'Hanlon who was doing the coaching and it was more professional and organised."

Moilanen notched up over fifty appearances in the Championship season but always had David Lucas breathing down his neck and challenging for the keeper's jersey, something he thinks drove him to better performances.

"Looking back, having David Lucas there was a key factor for me to perform to the level I was performing then, I never was consistent enough to hold down a place and had niggling injuries on a regular basis so from my point of view having him there was something that definitely lifted my game to a new level and we were able to cover each other.

"He was more consistent than me and I had my injury problems, so it was good to have him to push me and share the workload a bit. I was never used to playing fifty games a season, there are only twenty a season in Finland. David was vital as was Kelham's training, they lifted my game to a level I wouldn't have got to otherwise."

It was a memorable season for so many different reasons with Tepi breaking PNE's record for clean sheets in a season (since broken by Carlo Nash) and the former number one explains where things went right for North End that year.

"That year we played well throughout, unlike the Play-Off final year when we were more inconsistent, we were settled and well-balanced throughout the season.

"It was a young team that was starting to mature and find a rhythm and find a way of playing. We were settled and there were no big hiccups and we were a tight unit as well."

And Moilanen is quick to point out that he is not surprised to see his former gaffer David Moyes producing the goods at the highest level with Everton in the Premiership.

"I'm not surprised by his success, he had the ambition straight from day one and he was willing to work extremely hard for the club and for the team and straight from the off he was very ambitious and driven and had the focus needed to go all the way."

One of PNE's longest-serving goalkeepers, Moilanen is well-placed to offer his thoughts on the current custodian between the sticks, Andy Lonergan, who made his debut for the club during Tepi's spell at the Club in 2001.

"I thought he was very promising, he had some bad injuries, we always thought that it took a while for him to get to fitness, but he was definitely very promising.

"I was always surprised that PNE were able to produce two England under 21 goalkeepers back to back so something must have been done right down there. But he is obviously a very talented goalkeeper."



The only other member of the current squad who he played with is skipper Paul McKenna and even as a young squad member Moilanen recognised that there was potential in the teenage midfielder then.

"He was already a young pro when I came to the club, he had a great overall athletic ability and he made every sport look so easy.

"He was very consistent and intelligent and the fans know that, his consistency and easiness stood out straight away."

McKenna, Lonergan and Moilanen were all part of the squad that came within 90 minutes of Premiership football in 2001 when following the dramatic win on penalties over Birmingham PNE lost to Bolton in the final.

For the Finn it is clear that the disappointment felt by the fans today was matched by the those wearing the shirts on the Millenium Stadium pitch.

"It was a disappointment, especially for me with the injuries, it was great to be on the bench for the Bolton match, but possibly the others would feel the same as me in that Bolton were able to dominate and that we didn't play the best game of the season.

"They were always the favourites but we felt that we didn't get everything out of our own performance, it wasn't the best performance. Possibly they would have been too strong but we thought that we didn't play the best game on the day."

It is one of the strange quirks of history that the three sides who finished above North End that season are still in the top league now, and haven't been relegated since.

Interestingly though, Moilanen notes that it was perhaps for the best that North End didn't go up that season.

"When you get older you start to look at things in perspective, its always nice if you win and have that day to get into the Premiership, but you have to build success in a way which makes it last, there's no point getting there if you're not quite strong enough as a player, team or organisation.

"There's no point going over the ifs and buts, if we had been luckier with the other teams we may have had a better chance but at the end of the day you have to build success in a way that will last and perform it over a longer period of time.

"It probably came to PNE too early and now they've been there for a while next time when they push on they'll be ready to go up and stay there as well."

Moilanen stayed with North End for another two injury-hit seasons before his departure to Hearts in 2003. He returned to his homeland in 2005 but even now he looks back fondly at his time at Deepdale, picking out a famous away win as his favourite ninety minutes at the Club.

"The Wigan Athletic game in 2000 was very memorable. Michael Jackson scored, it was for promotion and it guaranteed first division promotion. Obviously all the promotion games when we secured the second division title were memorable, the Play-Off final at the Milleniuum Stadium was a huge match and a massive occasion and it stands out as well."

The giant Finn will always be remembered by North End fans for his athletic stops and imposing presence in the goal area that were a key factor in PNE's rise up the divisions. Moilanen himself looks back on his time in Lancashire with great affection.

"It was easily the high point of my career, at a senior level half of my games were at PNE and I learned everything about football there, I came there with little football education and that's where I learned the game.

"I played easily the best matches of my career there and it is definitely the footballing home for me in terms of my career."