There has been plenty to celebrate on 4th May down the years for Lilywhites fans as we discover in our latest ‘On This Day’ look back.
First up, this was the day back in 1996 when we received the third division trophy in front of a sold-out Deepdale when we faced Exeter City in PR1.
The Lilywhites were 2-0 victors on the day as Ian Bryson lifted the trophy having secured promotion at Leyton Orient two weeks ago and the title at Hartlepool, as mentioned in previous articles.
Also on this date 25 years before that, we were also celebrating a third division title (although that was the third tier whereas 1996 was the fourth tier).
A 3-0 home win over Rotherham United snatched the championship from Fulham after gaining promotion with the previously mentioned 1-0 win down at Craven Cottage thanks to Ricky Heppolette’s fondly remembered diving header.
A long time before that, Alex James, one of biggest stars of 1920s and 1930s, played his final game for PNE in 1929 before moving to Arsenal and winning three league titles!
Meanwhile, Andy Beattie debuted for the club on this day in 1935; he regularly played alongside another famous PNE Beattie, Bobby until 1939.