Next Game – Preston North End (away)

Last updated : 02 November 2002 By Tony Scholes

Colin Murdock
For this game apparently we will be the Dingles but that doesn’t worry us and we have recently had the upper hand on them.

Preston have become one of the better off clubs in the division. Hit with the losses of the television money they have been rescued somewhat by the sales of Jonathan Macken and Sean Gregan along with the compensation money they received for David Moyes when he moved on to Everton last March.

That has protected them from to a large extent and they have been one of the few clubs who have been able to go out and spend a bit of money in the last few months.

Moyes left at a critical time last season and was replaced initially by his assistant Kelham O’Hanlon. As others went with Moyes to Goodison Park O’Hanlon elected to stay but he didn’t keep the manager’s job which went to former Scotland boss Craig Brown in the summer. The choice was something of a gamble by the North End board, despite his experience at international football Brown had not previously been a full time club manager.

O’Hanlon had done well and after starting with a defeat on the Turf he saw them pick up four wins in the remaining seven games and come just one place and three points behind the Clarets. That was no surprise, we seem to have been running each other close for a few years now.

He brought in a couple of players in Clyde Wijnhard and former North Ender Gareth Ainsworth and it was expected that both would still be at Deepdale this season. That was not to be and new boss Craig Brown chose not to pursue the signings of either.

He did bring some new players in during the summer though in Jamaican striker Ricardo Fuller from Tivoli Gardens, Manchester City’s Tyrone Mears and Marlon Broomes who had looked all set to join the Clarets. Eddie Lewis from Fulham has since joined them whilst Gregan and Steve Basham are the only notable departures.

Graham Alexander
They have proved themselves to be draw specialists this season and already they have shared the spoils on eight occasions in the league with three games won and four lost. They are currently in 17th position.

Stoke and Reading have been beaten at Deepdale and they have added an away win at Derby. Two more wins in the Worthington Cup have seen them, like us, reach the 3rd round and they can look forward to a trip to Premiership Birmingham on Tuesday.

This week they suffered a defeat at the hands of Portsmouth at Fratton Park. They eventually lost 3-2 after leading 1-0 and then trailing 3-1 at half time. Portsmouth were though much the better side on the night and the result somewhat flattered North End as the league leaders surged seven points clear.

Preston lined up for that game: David Lucas, Graham Alexander, Marlon Broomes, Mark Rankine (Dickson Etuhu 72), Colin Murdock, Paul McKenna, Eddie Lewis (Pawel Abbott 68), Chris Lucketti, Richard Cresswell, Eric Skora, Rob Edwards (Michael Jackson 77). Subs not used: Tepi Moilanen, David Healy.

They have scored 23 league goals and eight of those have come from Richard Cresswell. He has had a habit of scoring match saving and winning goals late in the game this season and two of them have been recorded at ninety minutes. Behind him Graham Alexander, Ricardo Fuller and David Healy have all scored four times.

It will be a tough game played in front of Preston’s biggest crowd of the season.

Click HERE for all Preston’s results this season.

He played for both

Celebrating with David Eyres at Wembley
There are many to have played for both clubs but today we go back not too far to the only player to score a winning Wembley goal for the Clarets, Gary Parkinson.

Parky arrived at the Turf from Bolton in January 1994 during our promotion season. He had played over 200 league games for Middlesbrough before joining Bolton. He was signed by his old Boro’ boss Bruce Rioch but had not been able to win a place in the Bolton team.

Right back had been a problem position for Burnley since Ian Measham had moved on earlier that season and Mark Monington was one to have filled in. Parkinson therefore went straight into the team and was to be a regular throughout his Burnley career.

He soon became a popular member of the Clarets’ side but on 29th May 1994 he was to become a Turf Moor hero for ever when he scored the winning goal in the play off final against Stockport County.

He stayed with the Clarets for another three seasons and in what was to prove his last season, playing as a right wing back in Adrian Heath’s team, he won a place in the PFA 2nd Division team along with team mate David Eyres.

and playing for Preston
At the end of that season he opted not to sign the new contract offered and instead signed for Gary Peters, then the North End boss. Not long after he was joined by David Eyres and both of them had successful times at Preston, just as they had at Burnley. He was in the Preston team that was promoted along with the Clarets in 2000 but during the next season moved on to Blackpool.

He was released by the Seasiders at the end of last season and signed for Stalybridge Celtic alongside former Clarets Andy Farrell and Phil Eastwood under the management of David Miller.

Recently he has been working for Radio Lancashire and covered the two Burnley away games at Leicester and Ipswich.

Now 34 his league playing days are almost certainly over but there is no doubt that Gary Parkinson had a successful career and had good spells with both Burnley and Preston after an excellent period with his home club Middlesbrough.

League results in the last 20 years

Season

Div

Ven

Result

Att

Scorers

a

1983/84

3

h

2-1

8,095

Reeves Hamilton

a

2-4

8,813

Donachie Tueart

1984/85

3

h

2-0

4,768

Scott Biggins

a

3-3

4,995

Biggins(2) Whatmore

1985/86

4

h

1-1

3,835

Deakin

a

0-1

5,585

1986/87

4

h

1-4

5,974

James(pen)

a

1-2

10,716

Parker

1992/93

2

h

2-0

12,648

Heath(2)

a

0-2

7,209

1996/97

2

h

1-2

16,186

Barnes

a

1-1

12,652

Nogan

1997/98

2

h

1-1

13,809

Cooke

a

3-2

12,263

Payton Cooke Moore

1998/99

2

h

0-1

11,561

a

1-4

15,888

Eastwood

1999/2000

2

h

0-3

22,310

a

0-0

13,708

2000/01

1

h

3-0

16,591

Moore Ball Little

a

1-2

17,355

Moore

2001/02

1

h

2-1

18,388

I Moore Johnson

a

3-2

20,370

Gnohere(2) Little

Click HERE for all previous results against Preston starting with our first ever Football League game in 1888

Last Time in the League

Preston North End 2 (McKenna 29 Alexander 41,pen) Burnley 3 (Gnohere 17,61 Little 25) – Nationwide League Division 1, Sunday 9th December 2001

He may not have had a good few days this week but this was undoubtedly Arthur’s match as he scored his first Burnley goals to win us the game.

His first came with just 17 minutes gone when he headed in a free kick and the Clarets were two up with a superb finish from Glen Little after Preston had given the ball away. The massive Burnley following was in party mood but just as quickly we found ourselves level again.

A mistake from Nik Michopoulos brought about the first and a dreadful penalty decision by referee Pearson just a few minutes before half time saw Preston level. In between Michopoulos had been yellow carded for NOT handling the ball outside the box.

Straight after Preston’s equaliser we should have gone back in front. Lucas tipped an Alan Moore effort from over 40 yards onto the bar but Ian Moore headed the rebound straight at the keeper when it looked easier to score.

The second half was end to end stuff but the decisive moment came just after the hour and what a moment it was. Arthur found himself in an attacking position down the left hand side, he collected the ball and knocked it to Alan Moore before continuing his run into the box.

Arthur celebrates the winner with Gareth Taylor and Ian Moore
A sublime piece of skill from Moore returned the ball to Arthur who controlled it switched feet and hit it past Lucas. Arthur went crazy, the fans went crazy and the ITV Sport channel (remember them?) commentator Guy Havord claimed ‘King Arthur has done it again’.

It was a piece of skill not normally associated with a central defender and Arthur simply loved it. Already a cult figure he turned in a man of the match performance before leading the celebrations at the end.

There’s no doubt that Preston will be wary of him, their fans have not been able to forget him. Now can Arthur do it again?

The teams were,

Preston North End: David Lucas, Graham Alexander, Colin Murdock, Chris Lucketti, Rob Edwards, Lee Cartwright (Iain Anderson 82), Sean Gregan, Paul McKenna, David Healy, Richard Cresswell (Steve Basham 10), Jonathan Macken. Subs not used: Michael Keane, Adam Eaton, Andy Lonergan.

Burnley: Nik Michopoulos, Dean West, Ian Cox, Arthur Gnohere, Graham Branch (Gareth Taylor 59), Glen Little (Paul Weller 84), Kevin Ball, Tony Grant, Alan Moore (Lenny Johnrose 85), Alan Moore, Ian Moore, Subs not used: Luigi Cennamo, Dimitri Papadopoulos.

Referee: Roy Pearson (Peterlee).