Heading into the last game of the season Preston North End find themselves in serious danger of relegation.
This is despite having looked very safe a month ago, but North End’s 1 win in 14 games has been well documented and their slump at this time of the season is all too familiar.
Despite the players and staff saying they won’t switch off at this time of the season, they have done, in the most dramatic of fashions. Coupled with all the other teams at the lower end of the table picking up points, there is a very strong chance Preston will return to the third tier for the first time in 10 years.
The permutations have been looked at time and time again. Ultimately it’s still in Preston’s hands but a win or even a draw seems a very unlikely scenario. Their best chance is hoping results elsewhere go in their favour but that has been written about plenty of times already. I want to focus on the real reason the players need to step up.
The effect of relegation
The players are arguably the least effected when it comes to relegation at a club. Many have contracts for next season and others will be seeking moves elsewhere regardless.
The fans suffer and have been doing for sometime due to the dour football on display. But there should also be a consideration for the others employed by Preston North End.
If the players can’t perform for themselves here’s who they should do it for; the matchday staff, cleaners, chefs at the training ground, groundsman, employees in the community and education trust department of the club. If and when relegation happens cuts obviously have to be made and quite often it’s the people behind the scenes that suffer.
You only have to look at Manchester United one of the biggest clubs in the world with astronomical revenue. Limited success and horrendous business decisions have led to them making sweeping redundancies.
Preston North End will find themselves in a very tough position if they move down to League One and there will be cuts on and off the pitch.
The employees behind the scenes and especially those at the training ground are ones that the players will see every day and I’m sure they appreciate the jobs they do. Think of them when you step out onto the pitch at Ashton Gate. You’re fighting for so much more than just your own career. You’re part of a club and a family with tremendous history. Now’s the time to have a big say on which direction that heads in next.
Back to the fans, the majority of the North End faithful will and have supported the club no matter what. But last week a young child sat behind me said to his Dad ‘I don’t want to come back next season’. Awful to hear but can you blame him?
Football is readily available to watch and enjoy in so many formats now, why would the youth of today choose to put themselves through the agony of following a stagnant club like Preston North End? For most of us it’s in our blood and you wouldn’t change it for the world, but it still has to be something enticing for the next generation to want to come and see.
The days under Graham Westley were some of the darkest I’ve seen in my time as a fan of this club. We’re a step away from potentially having to witness similar scenes once again. I just hope Paul Heckingbottom and his team have put everything into training this week, rather than going through the usual motions.
How fortunes have changed since 2009
2009 was the last time Preston reached the play-offs in the Championship. Under Alan Irvine, a memorable run of form late in the season culminated with a last minute Sean St. Ledger winner at home to Queens Park Rangers. It meant North End sneaked into sixth place and would face Sheffield United in the semi-final.
They would come up short against The Blades and missed out on a chance to play Burnley for a place in the Premier League. Having spent the last 13 seasons in the same league as each other, Burnley would leave Preston behind earning promotion to the top flight.
Since then they have been promoted a further four times to the Premier League including this season. For a club that is a similar size to Preston it shows a huge contrast on how fortunes can differ, and that is extremely frustrating for Preston fans.
Although The Clarets have become a yo-yo club of late, they are still creating great memories whilst Preston have had very little to shout about for some time, and haven’t had a decent shot at reaching the top flight since 2009.
They now face one of the club’s biggest games since those play-offs in 2009 but have to step up and perform now. Too many times we have seen Preston get stage fright when playing a big cup tie, or a crucial league game. They simply have to get it right this time.
‘What if’ is a thought that keeps the fans coming back every week. Football is about dreaming, and we were allowed to dream a little this season with the FA Cup run. Every North End fan wants to see us at the highest level, but if things go against us on Saturday, that dream diminishes even further.