There’s a birthday for one of the first team squad today, as well as a promotion and a trip to Wembley in previous years on 1st May.
Firstly, we say happy birthday to Luton-born Irish international striker Sean Maguire, who turns 26 today.
Signed from Cork City in the summer of 2017, the forward has gone on to make 87 appearances for the club so far, scoring 17 goals in the process and before the current call-off of games was set to face his hometown team at Kenilworth Road in the next game!
A future PNE star made his debut on 1st May 1972. Born in Dundee, Scotland, Alex Bruce began his career with Preston North End in 1971.
He became a cult figure with the Lilywhites supporters and was a prolific striker, finishing as the highest goalscorer, a club record, eight seasons out of ten during the 1970s and early 1980s!
He remains to date the club's second highest all-time goal scorer, only bettered by club legend Sir Tom Finney.
In January 1974 he joined Newcastle United, but in August 1975, he re-joined his PNE when the Magpies signed John Bird from Deepdale in exchange for Bruce and £60,000.
On his return to Deepdale he struck up a successful strike partnership with Mike Elwiss and under manager Nobby Stiles helped guide Preston to league promotion in 1978, Bruce winning a golden boot by finishing the season as the league's highest scorer.
He stayed at Deepdale until 1983, by which time he had made more than 400 appearances and closed up the second most goals in the club’s history.
Another born on this date, and who would have been celebrating his 80th birthday, had he still been with us, was Brian Godfrey. The Welsh international spent four years at Deepdale, scoring 52 goals in 127 appearances, his best scoring run at any of his seven career clubs. He sadly passed away in 2010 in Cyprus.
This day in 1937 saw the Lilywhites suffer FA Cup Final defeat at Wembley, going down 3-1 to Sunderland; thankfully they were to put things right a year later, when they returned to the Final.
This day in 1971, the Lilywhites earned promotion from the third division, with a fantastic 1-0 win away to promotion rivals Fulham, thanks to a diving header from Ricky Heppolette. It was one of 13 league goals in 154 appearances for the Indian-born midfielder.