Jonny Macken is well remembered by Preston North End fans lucky enough to have seen him in a very successful spell under David Moyes.
The late 90’s and early 2000’s was a memorable era for the club, and Macken was at the very forefront of it. His 25 goals helped secure the Division Two title in 2000, and his form carried on at a higher level.
For many of a certain age, Macken will be their first North End hero. A key player in the side that won this club’s last league title, and many would have thought he would go on to bigger and better things.
He developed a good partnership with David Healy and scored an iconic goal against future employers Manchester City.
The goal led to an eventual £5 million move to Manchester City, giving Preston a handsome profit on the £200k they paid Manchester United for him in 1997.
Macken never quite found his goal scoring boots after leaving Preston, with spells at Crystal Palace, Derby County, Ipswich Town, Barnsley and Walsall before dropping into non league. He did manage to pick up one cap for Republic of Ireland along the way though.
In 2017 he started his managerial career with Radcliffe Borough and guided them to promotion from the eighth tier of English football.
Macken is now back at that level after taking the Colne job in the Northern Premier League Division One West. Colne were top of the ‘East’ part of the league system last season before the season was scrapped due to the pandemic.
He now takes over the side with a contract until the end of the 2022/23 season. It’s one level below Bamber Bridge, another club who Macken turned out for in his playing days.
One player who Macken will have in his squad is former Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic free-kick specialist Ryan Taylor. The 37-year-old will still be a handy player at that level for Macken to call upon.
Good luck to Macken with his second managerial job!