Wednesday saw the anticipated announcement that Ryan Ledson would be leaving the club this summer after seven years at Preston North End.
Ledson came to Deepdale in the summer of 2018 after joining from Oxford United, and fans quickly saw the type of player and character he was. In the early days he was perhaps tagged as the eventual successor to Ben Pearson, but Ledson was not there to fill someone else’s boots, he was there to put his own stamp on the club.
After coming through the ranks at Everton, Ledson arrived at Preston at just 20-years-old but with over 100 games under his belt through spells at Cambridge United and then Oxford.
Competition was always tough at North End in the middle of the park with the likes of Pearson, Alan Browne and then Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann. But you always knew the performance you were going to get with Ledo.
Committed, wearing his heart on his sleeve, throwing himself into every challenge and leaving everything out there on the pitch. It’s what every supporter hopes for from any player because for us as fans, that’s what we feel should be the minimum and that’s what we want to see.
Unfortunately players like Ledson are few and far between, but off the pitch as well you could tell how key ‘the Rhino’s’ character was in the dressing room. Despite still being in the infancy of his career when he arrived under Alex Neil you could see that he was a leader and it was no surprise to see him captain the side on numerous occasions throughout his seven year spell.
A leader on the field and a cheeky personality off it. Ledson was interviewed by BBC at half time of the FA Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa in March. As North End fans aimed scrunched up bits of paper at the cameras Ledson was there trying to head every one of them. It was a huge shame he was suspended for that tie as he was exactly the player we needed for that match.
That’s what Ledson had become; a player for the occasion. All of his managers knew his value to the team, and whilst he may have been unable to consistently hold down a position in the side, you knew when a derby game came up or a tough away match, Ledson would be on the teamsheet. Yes, he would probably pick up a yellow card in those games, but he understood what it meant to represent Preston North End.
Perhaps only Tom Clarke, Paul Gallagher and Paul Huntington can be discussed in the same bracket as Ledson in the past decade or so with regards to passion and commitment on the pitch and an understanding with the fans.
George Hodgson wrote a brilliant piece in the Lancashire Evening Post highlighting our loss will be someone else’s gain. I have no doubt whatsoever that Ledson will be adored wherever he ends up next, and he deserves to be an instrumental part of a team instead of being on the periphery.
His best season for the club came in the campaign behind closed doors in 2020/21 when he cleaned up at the end of season player of the year awards. At the beginning of last season he was instrumental in the strong start we had winning six of the first seven games, playing at the base of a four man midfield.
It was only when Ben Whiteman returned from injury and took Ledson’s place that the club form started to drop. Perhaps that was a sliding doors moment that should have seen Ledson keep his place, and perhaps he would have stepped up to be club captain after Alan Browne’s departure.
There’s no doubt about it that even with the 27-year-old’s impending exit from the club, Ryan would have been one of the first names on the team sheet for the last game of the season with Bristol City and his 215th and final game as a Lilywhite.
Once again Ledson left everything out there on that pitch to ensure he wouldn’t leave this club on the back of a relegation. Although perhaps there could have been a contract there for him if we had dropped into League One?
Whilst the fans expressed their joy at survival there was a special moment as Ledson took it all in and the fans sung his song once again. Teammate and close friend Brad Potts pushed him forward to the fans so he could soak it all up and the North End faithful could show their appreciation for the last seven years, and even Potts joined in with the chant.
‘Ryan Ledson is a white, is a white, is a white, Ryan Ledson is a white, he hates Blackpool’.
You could tell there was relief on Ledson’s face as well that this season had not ended in disaster. You could also see how much he enjoyed the second goal on the day from Milutin Osmajic, with the midfielder sprinting down the pitch jumping over the players and heading straight for the fans.
Ledson was often at the centre of celebrations whether he was playing or not, famously taking out Potts after a late winner at home to Reading a couple of seasons ago and captaining Preston to the cup win over Fulham after a mammoth penalty shootout.
Preston are set for an overhaul of their squad this summer, but it’s unlikely any other departure will be as emotional as this one, for the players and the fans.
Ledson was one of us and he leaves with the best wishes of everyone connected with the club.