[themaclad]

Preston North End won 3-0 against Bruno’s Magpies in Spain, thanks to goals from Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile, Noah Mawene and Kian Taylor.

Following a first half of few chances, 11 changes were made at the break by North End and Rodriguez-Gentile – who netted against Bamber Bridge last weekend – scored within six minutes.

Mawene, after being involved in that opening goal, then scored his side’s second before Taylor made it three soon after with a good finish.


Playing at Pinatar Arena against the Gibraltar National League outfit, PNE were backed by hundreds of their supporters, with many making the trip on the day from Benidorm.

North End had the first chance of the game seven minutes in when Robbie Brady’s free-kick was won in the air by Liam Lindsay, and the ball was then struck goalwards by Mikey O’Neill, whose effort was well kept out by Jaylan Hankins.


At the other end, Freddie Woodman had to come up with an important stop himself to deny Jack Storer who had been sent through on goal.

The goalkeeper made a simpler save to hold a deflected Juanje Arguez effort on 21 minutes, while Hankins did well to tip a dipping Brady 20-yard free-kick over the bar shortly afterwards.

There were wholesale changes at the break for North End with 11 alterations made and it took just six minutes for Rodriguez-Gentile to make an impact. Mawene had done well at the top end of the pitch to intercept a Magpies defender and 16-year-old Rodriguez-Gentile took a touch before calmly finding the bottom corner to break the deadlock.

Seven minutes later, the Lilywhites doubled their lead through Mawene who had received the ball with his back to goal, swivelled and expertly found the near bottom corner.

It was three on 66 minutes when Rodriguez-Gentile found Taylor in space approaching the edge of the box and the lifelong North End fan smashed the ball past Hankins in goal.

Lewis Leigh almost made it four shortly after when he drove towards goal and let a left-footed effort fly just wide of goal, while Mawene also sent a strike inches the wrong side of the post late on.

PNE starting XI: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Slater; Potts, Ledson, Browne, Woodburn, Brady; O’Neill, Nelson.

PNE second half XI: Cornell; Diaby, Bauer, Best; Seary, McCann, Leigh, Kamara, Taylor; Mawene, Rodriguez-Gentile.

Unused sub: Pradic.

Referee: Mr Montalban.

[themaclad]

BURY FC V PRESTON NORTH END XI

GIGG LANE 9/7/2023 KO 3.00PM

Bury Football Club is an English association football club based in Bury, Greater Manchester which will play in the Premier Division of the North West Counties League, the ninth tier of the English football pyramid, in the 2023–2024 season. This follows FA approval in June 2023 of a merger with phoenix club Bury AFC. Prior to expulsion from the English Football League, Bury FC had last played in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football, in the 2018–19 season.

The team are known as "The Shakers", and play in white shirts and navy blue shorts. Gigg Lane, one of the world's oldest football grounds, has been the club's home venue since 1885. The club has long-standing rivalries with near neighbours Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale. Established in 1885,[a] Bury was a founder member of the Lancashire League in 1889 and crowned champions in 1890–91 and 1891–92, before being elected to the Football League in 1894.

Bury won the Second Division in 1894–95 and earned promotion to the First Division in which they played for 17 seasons. They won the FA Cup in 1900 with a 4–0 victory over Southampton and again in 1903 with a record 6–0 win over Derby County. Bury were relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 1911–12 season and were there for twelve years until securing promotion as runners-up in 1923–24. They were relegated in 1928–29, their last top-flight season. In 1956–57, they dropped into the third tier for the first time but won promotion as champions of the Third Division under Dave Russell in 1960–61. From 1967 to 1971, they had one promotion and three relegations, the last of which was from the Third to the Fourth Division.

Bury won promotion at the end of the 1973–74 campaign and remained in the Third Division until 1979–80. In 1995, Stan Ternent took over as team manager. He led the team back to the second tier for the first time in 28 years after securing two consecutive promotions in 1995–96 and 1996–97. The club stayed there for just two seasons before being relegated twice in four seasons. They secured promotion out of League Two in 2010–11. After that, Bury switched between Leagues One and Two, being twice relegated (in 2012–13 and 2017–18) and twice promoted (in 2014–15 and 2018–19). Bury finished the 2018–19 season as runners-up in League Two, earning promotion to League One for the 2019–20 season. However, the club was unable to begin the season because of longstanding financial difficulties, and was expelled from the Football League.

In November 2020, the club was placed into administration. In February 2022, Bury fans' group Est.1885 completed the purchase of Gigg Lane from the administrator and announced that they have acquired the trading name, history and memorabilia of Bury FC. After the sale was completed, efforts began to bring professional football back to Bury. In October 2022 supporters were urged to vote in a poll regarding a potential amalgamation of the Bury Football Club Supporters' Society (who own Gigg Lane and the "Bury FC" trading name) and the Shakers Community Society (who own phoenix club Bury AFC). If the merger was agreed, a new society - The Football Supporters' Society of Bury - would be formed, based at Gigg Lane, while Bury AFC would change its playing name to Bury Football Club. However, the proposals failed to reach the required 66% threshold from both societies. On 5 May 2023, the merger of both societies was approved following a second poll.[4] Bury AFC will adopt the Bury FC playing name ahead of the 2023–24 season and return to Gigg Lane, following an FA approval announced on 5 June 2023. Upon the merger of Bury FC and Bury AFC, the two team's histories were combined — retroactively counting Bury AFC's seasons as seasons for Bury FC

Preston XI it will be wouldn't be surprised if Mr Fantastic plays a part in this

The home side played Bradford City today lost 6-0 it was a sell out as is tomorrow

[themaclad]

Bury 0 PNE XI 3
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A young Preston North End XI won 3-0 at Gigg Lane against Bury FC thanks to goals from Kian Taylor, Lewis Leigh and Kitt Nelson.

Two impressive solo goals got PNE going as Taylor opened the scoring in the 25th minute after weaving in and out of the home defence, and captain Leigh did the same early in the second half.

Nelson then scored a third for North End in the 72nd minute to cap off an impressive display by the young Lilywhites.

It was a momentous occasion at Gigg Lane as the hosts continued their weekend celebrating a return to their traditional home after four years away.

A North End side made up of young professionals and scholars – managed by former Bury player and gaffer Ryan Lowe – took on the Shakers and, on 15 minutes, Mikey O’Neill had the first meaningful effort of the match as he worked some room on the edge of the area before sending a shot over the crossbar.

At the other end a few minutes later, Jacob Slater came up with a vital touch to prevent Tom Kilifin’s cross reaching Andy Briggs in the middle, who would have otherwise had a simple finish.

Sam Unwin then came closest of anyone on 20 minutes when his powerful effort clipped the top of the crossbar and went into the stands behind the goal.

It was North End who took the lead, though, in the 25th minute as Taylor picked the ball up on the halfway line and weaved through the defence, before firing past the goalkeeper.

James Pradic made two great saves within a minute of each other towards the end of the half, firstly diving to his left to keep out Jack Tinning’s goalbound free-kick, and the ‘keeper then prevented a Briggs snapshot finding the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile was involved in the first two chances of the second period, setting up Kitt Nelson who fired over from close range, and then seeing his own effort from 20 yards parried away from goal.

The second soon arrived for North End as, in the 54th minute, skipper Leigh picked the ball up on the left and eased his way past a few Bury bodies before expertly burying the ball into the far corner.

A third came in the 72nd minute when Kaedyn Kamara did well down the left to find Nelson with his back to goal six yards out, and the forward spun to send it past the goalkeeper.

Kamara almost followed his assist with a fantastic long-range strike, but Jack Atkinson dived to his left to put it wide.

Pradic was called into action late in the day by Connor Comber as the heavens opened at Gigg Lane, but he made sure North End held on to their clean sheet.

PNE line-up: Pradic; Taylor, Best (Wilkinson, 89), Slater (McGhee, 89); Seary (Eccleston, 83), Leigh (Pasiek, 75), Mawene, Kamara (Horan, 83); Rodriguez-Gentile; O’Neill (Goldsmith, 61), Nelson. Subs not used: Davis.

[themaclad]

Barrow v Preston North End
Holker Street15 July 2015

And that it is the only time I've ever known us play Barrow, canot remember friendly in the past 52 years, may have been some before the League Cup meeting

Newbies at Holker Street

http://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=12324



https://www.barrowafc.net/index.php

https://www.barrowafc.com/

History

Wiki View

Barrow Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The club competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.

Having initially played in the Lancashire Combination, Barrow joined the Football League in 1921. They remained in the bottom level of the competition until 1967, when they achieved promotion to the Third Division by finishing third in the Fourth Division. The club's highest league placing was in 1967–68, when they finished eighth in the Third Division. They declined quickly, however, and at the end of the 1971–72 season Barrow were voted out of the Football League in the re-election process. They then spent 48 seasons in the top two levels of non-league football, with five relegations from – and promotions to – the Alliance Premier League (later the Football Conference and the National League), of which they were a founding member in 1979. Barrow won the FA Trophy (non-league football's most prestigious cup competition) in 1990 and 2010. They returned to the Football League as National League champions in 2020. Barrow's promotion back to the Football League made them the first, and to date only, club to have been automatically promoted back to the Football League having previously lost their league place via the re-election process, although a number of clubs had previously lost and regained their league status via re-election.

The club colours are blue and white and their nickname is The Bluebirds. The record attendance at Holker Street is 16,874, for a match against Swansea Town in a 1954 FA Cup third round fixture. Since 1909, Barrow have played their home games at Holker Street near the town centre, 0.7 miles from Barrow-in-Furness railway station.

History
Early history
Barrow were founded on 16 July 1901 at the old Drill Hall (later the Palais) in the Strand, and played initially at the Strawberry Ground before moving to Ainslie Street[1] and Little Park in Roose.[2] The club was elected to Division Two of the Lancashire Combination[citation needed] in 1903, and in 1908 it was promoted to the first division.[2] Barrow moved to Holker Street the following year, where they still play. The club remained in the Lancashire Combination until (and after) the First World War, winning the league championship in 1920–21. The victory preceded the formation of the Football League Third Division North in the 1921–22 season, and Barrow became one of the league's founding members.[1]

Football League years
In their early years as a league club, Barrow were notable for their lack of success.[1][3] Their highest finish before the Second World War was fifth in the 1931–32 season. In the 1933–34 season, Barrow finished eighth. The club remained in the lowest tier of the Football League when football resumed after the war, and were founding members of Football League Division Four in 1958–59.[4] The 1950s saw greater success in FA Cup competition, however; the club's record crowd of 16,874 watched Barrow draw 2–2 with Swansea Town in the 1953–54 FA Cup.[citation needed] A few years later, it was followed by a third-round tie in the 1958–59 competition against Football League champions Wolverhampton Wanderers at Holker Street. The Wolves, captained by Billy Wright, won 4–2.

The late 1960s finally saw Barrow win promotion, after a third-place finish managed by Don McEvoy in the 1966–67 Fourth Division.[5] McEvoy's successor, Colin Appleton, lead Barrow to their highest final league position (eighth place) in the Football League Third Division the following season. The club topped the Third Division league table for one day during the 1968–69 season, the highest position they have ever held. During this period, defender Brian Arrowsmith made the most Football League appearances for Barrow.[5] Barrow remained in the third flight of English football for three seasons, before returning to the basement in 1970. Financial difficulties and poor performances saw Barrow twice up for re-election in 1971 and 1972. On the second occasion, at the end of the 1971–72 season, they were voted out of the Football League and replaced by Hereford United.[5] The initial vote produced saw a tie between Barrow and Hereford for the last place in the league, with each receiving 26 votes. However a second vote saw Hereford win with 29 votes to Barrow's 20.[6] Three factors were highlighted: Barrow's geographic isolation, Hereford United's FA Cup victory against Newcastle United, and the decision of the Barrow board to introduce a speedway track around the Holker Street pitch to offset financial difficulties.[7] Barrow joined the Northern Premier League for the start of the 1972–73 season,[8] and the club spent 51 years in the Football League, 44 playing seasons due to the wartime closedown.[5]

Return to non-league competition
Colour-coded line graph
Barrow's league position since their election to Division Three (North) in 1922
To gain access to the Northern Premier League, the club had to promise to remove the speedway track from Holker Street[9] (although it remained until 1974). Barrow struggled in the league, with limited financial resources.[10] The club were invited to join the new Alliance Premier League in 1979, the first national division in non-league football. Barrow won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1981 (their first success as a non-league club since winning the Lancashire Combination in 1921), but were relegated two years later.[11] They won the Northern Premier League title the following season under manager Vic Halom, but were relegated again by 1986. The club hired Ray Wilkie as a manager just before relegation, and Wilkie led Barrow to their most successful period to date in non-league football.[12]

After a number of near-misses, the club was promoted back to the renamed Football Conference in 1988–89 after their Northern Premier League championship.[12] Driven by Colin Cowperthwaite, holder of club records for appearances and goals,[13] Barrow had two respectable finishes in the Conference: 10th in 1989–90 and 14th the following season. In addition to league success, Wilkie had a number of successful cup runs. Barrow reached the 1988 FA Trophy semi-final, losing to Enfield after two replays: the first at Aggborough, Kidderminster and the second at Marston Road, Stafford. The first leg, at Holker Street, attracted 6,002 supporters (a club non-league record). Enfield won the first leg 2–1, and Barrow won the second 1–0. Enfield went on to win the trophy against Telford United in a replay at the Hawthorns in West Bromwich after a goalless draw in the final at Wembley. Barrow reached the first round of the FA Cup the following season, losing 3–1 to Rotherham United.

They won the 1990 FA Trophy, their first major trophy as a non-league club, defeating Leek Town in the final at Wembley. Kenny Gordon, not ordinarily a goal-scorer, scored the first and third goals in his final game for his hometown club before emigrating to Australia.[14] Other notable members of the squad included Kenny Lowe, who was sold to Barnet for £40,000 (a club record at the time) after the final.[15] The following season (benefiting from direct entry to the first round), Barrow made the third round of the FA Cup for the first time as a non-league club before losing 1–0 away to Third Division high-fliers Bolton Wanderers.[citation needed]

Wilkie was forced to step down during the 1991–92 season due to health problems. Barrow were relegated back to the Northern Premier League and Cowperthwaite retired after fifteen seasons with the club, 704 appearances and 282 goals.[13] Wilkie died in December 1992 at age 56,[16] and the road outside the Holker Street ground was later named Wilkie Road in his honour.[citation needed]

1990s turmoil
After Wilkie's departure and Barrow's relegation, the club had three mediocre seasons in the Northern Premier League. In February 1995, Barrow were purchased by boxing promoter and businessman Stephen Vaughan.[17] Vaughan invested in the club, building an all-seater grandstand and signing Conference-standard players.[18] The Bluebirds were promoted to the Conference in 1997–98 under manager Owen Brown.[17][18]

Vaughan (who had connections with Liverpool drug-dealer Curtis Warren)[17] was investigated for money laundering,[17][18][19][20] although no charges were brought.[19][21] He left the club at the end of 1998, withdrawing the financial support which had kept it afloat.[17] It was learned that the Holker Street ground (Barrow's main asset) had been sold for £410,000 to Northern Improvements, a company in which Vaughan had a financial interest.[18][22] In January 1999, the club were the subject of a compulsory winding-up order and a liquidator was appointed to run it while efforts were made to establish the ground's legal owner.[17][18][22] A members' company was formed to provide financial support for the club, with the long-term intention of taking it over.

Although Barrow avoided relegation in the summer of 1999, they were expelled from the Football Conference for improper administration.[22] With support from the Football Association after a long dispute, the club were admitted to the Northern Premier League for the 1999–2000 season almost a month after the season had begun.[18] Barrow survived in the league under manager Kenny Lowe, despite an almost-entirely-new squad. The team improved over the next few years, remaining in administration. They narrowly missed promotion to the Conference twice, finishing second and third in 2003–04 and 2004–05. The legal disputes over the ownership of Holker Street were resolved in August 2002, and the members' company bought the stadium from the liquidator. In 2003, the Football Association allowed Barrow's "football membership" to be transferred to the new company.[23]

The club defeated local rivals Workington in a two-legged April 2004 final in the UniBond Presidents (League) Cup. The game finished 6–6 on aggregate, with Barrow winning on away goals. After their failure to gain promotion to the Conference in 2004–05, Barrow became founding members of another division: the Conference North, which replaced the Northern Premier League one level below the Conference National.

National League years
The club had poor form over the following two seasons, narrowly escaping relegation at the end of 2006–07. Manager Lee Turnbull, who succeeded Lowe when Lowe had work commitments, was sacked in 2005 and replaced by Phil Wilson. Defender James Cotterill was jailed for an assault committed on the pitch. In a first round FA Cup game, Cotterill punched Bristol Rovers striker Sean Rigg. The incident was missed by the referee but was caught by the Match of the Day cameras, and Cotterill was the only English player in recent history to be jailed for an offence on the pitch.[24]

After two years as manager, Wilson was dismissed on 12 November 2007. Although the sacking came two days after a good 1–1 draw in the FA Cup first round against AFC Bournemouth, the club's continued poor form was the cause. Barrow's team affairs were shifted to players Paul Jones, David Bayliss and Darren Sheridan. Following a decent run of results, Bayliss and Sheridan were appointed player-managers, and Jones became club captain. Bayliss and Sheridan led Barrow from 20th place in the league in December to fifth, ensuring a place in the playoffs for promotion to the Conference National. They won the semi-final against AFC Telford United 4–0 on aggregate before defeating Stalybridge Celtic in the playoff final at Pirelli Stadium in Burton upon Trent.[25]

Barrow topped the Conference National table during the first few weeks of the following season before the club began to struggle, finding themselves just above the relegation zone by January 2009. They defeated Brentford 2–1 with goals from David Brown and Matt Henney in round two of the FA Cup, their first victory over Football League opposition since their 1972 elimination from the league. Barrow drew an away match against Middlesbrough (a Premier League team) in the third round, losing 2–1.[26] More than 7,000 Barrow fans travelled to Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, the highest away attendance in Riverside's 14-year history to date.[26] The cup run earned Barrow about £250,000, allowing investment in playing resources.[27] The club retained their place in the Conference, finishing twentieth.

Following alterations to the squad during the summer, Barrow began its second season in the Conference National in August 2009. The club had a good run after a poor start, losing once in 16 games and reaching the FA Cup third round. They were defeated 3–0 by Premier League side Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 2 January 2010, watched by 7,500 travelling supporters.[28][29] On 13 March 2010, a Gregg Blundell goal gave Barrow a 1–0 win at Salisbury City in the first Leg of the FA Trophy semi-final. One week later, a Jason Walker double secured a 2–1 victory in the second Leg to send the Bluebirds to Wembley. After securing their position in the Conference National in the last home match of the season, Barrow won the 2010 FA Trophy Final against Stevenage Borough 2–1 at Wembley Stadium with an extra-time goal by Walker; this made Barrow the only club to win the FA Trophy at the old and new Wembley Stadiums.

The 2010–11 season was less successful, although the club finished in 18th place and remained in the Conference National with a 2–0 victory against Hayes & Yeading on the last day of the season.[30] Barrow failed to retain the FA Trophy, however, losing 2–3 to Conference North side Guiseley.[31] The side was more successful the following season, finishing 13th. Darren Sheridan left the club by mutual consent in February 2012,[32] and Dave Bayliss remained as manager.

The following season, Barrow were relegated from the Conference National after losing 2–1 at Cambridge United on 13 April 2013. Bayliss left the club by mutual consent on 5 November 2013, and Barrow reappointed former caretaker manager Darren Edmondson on 10 December of that year. That season, the club failed to win promotion to the Conference Premier and finished 11th in the Conference North.

Players on the pitch, with the grandstand in the background
Blackpool players warming up before their friendly at Barrow on 20 July 2019. Barrow manager Ian Evatt was a late substitute, ending his playing career against his 2010–11 Premier League team.
On 1 May 2014, it was announced that club members had voted to allow Dallas businessman Paul Casson to complete a takeover.[33] Barrow were 2014–15 Conference North champions, with a 2–3 win away at Lowestoft Town on the final day of the season. Casson aimed for promotion in the club's first season back in the top flight of non-league football.[34] In November 2015, Barrow parted company with manager Darren Edmondson after a poor run left them mid-table and a 1–0 loss to AFC Fylde knocked them out of the 2015–16 FA Cup.[35] The club appointed former Mansfield and Torquay boss Paul Cox manager the following day.[36]

On 20 September 2017, Barrow appointed Micky Moore as first-team manager.[37] Moore was sacked after the club's FA Cup defeat in the fourth qualifying round away at Shaw Lane on 15 October of that year. Former Forest Green Rovers boss Ady Pennock was appointed manager on 27 October, accompanied by assistant manager Jamie Day and player-coach Grant Holt. Barrow narrowly avoided relegation, finishing in 20th place, and Pennock and the club parted company on 18 May 2018.[38]

Former Blackpool and Chesterfield defender Ian Evatt became the club's manager on 15 June.[39] On 24 October 2018, Casson announced that he was stepping down as chairman and selling the club; director Paul Hornby led a management buyout of the club.[40] The 2018–19 season was much more successful under Evatt, finishing in 10th place this time.[41] The following 2019–20 season was even more successful. The Bluebirds were top of the league for the vast majority of the season before the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The final league table was decided on a points per game basis, meaning Barrow returned to the EFL as champions for the first time since 1972.[42]

Return to the Football League (2020–)
During pre-season, manager Ian Evatt departed for newly relegated Bolton Wanderers and was replaced by David Dunn.[43][44] Barrow's first Football League game in 48 years resulted in a 1–1 draw with Stevenage at Holker Street.[45] The Bluebirds finally won at their 9th attempt in the league, with a 4–2 win at Mansfield Town.[46] After 22 matches, the last 9 without a win, and with the team 21st in the table, Dunn was sacked on 13 December 2020.[47] Following Dunn's dismissal, assistant manager Rob Kelly was appointed as caretaker manager.[48] Michael Jolley was named as the new manager on 23 December 2020.[49] However, on 21 February 2021, after 7 games in charge, Barrow parted company with Jolley.[50] Following the departure of Jolley, assistant boss Kelly was once again named as Barrow's caretaker manager, this time until the end of the season.[50] Kelly saw an upturn of form and on 27 April 2021, with two matches remaining, Barrow secured their Football League status for the following season with a 2–0 win at Forest Green Rovers.[51] At the end of the season, Kelly chose not to remain as manager on a permanent basis and left the club.[52] On 28 May 2021, former Forest Green Rovers manager Mark Cooper was appointed as manager.[53] On 24 August 2021, Barrow hosted Premier League side Aston Villa in an EFL Cup second round tie, losing 6–0.[54] In 2021–22, Barrow finished in 22nd place.[55] In May 2022, Pete Wild was appointed as the new manager.[56]

Colours and badge
Barrow's kit for the 2022–23 season is manufactured by Puma with the design boasting a crisp white through the body, incorporating vibrant dual shades of blue across the front to create a stylish Bluebird effect in a nod to the club's nickname. The shirt is paired with blue shorts and white socks which have a blue trim. The 2022–23 away shirt consists of a black body with a Puma seasonal dot graphic to the front, a shell crew neck and Raglan sleeve construction to the back. Both shirts are manufactured with 100% recycled polyester mesh and uses Puma's dryCELL moisture-wicking technology. JF Hornby & Co are the club's front of shirt sponsor once more.

A kit with blue shirts and white shorts was in use by 1912,[23] although Barrow's original colours were black-and-white stripes. From 1939 to 1959, a blue shirt with a white "V" was the design.[1] Barrow's kit has varied from predominantly-blue to predominantly-white, with occasional stripes or hoops.[1] For the 2001–02 season, Barrow played in black-and-white stripes to celebrate the club's centennial.[57] Although Barrow's away colours have varied, the team wore a yellow kit with blue trim for the 2010 FA Trophy final. Barrow's second kit from 2011 to 2013 was sky blue; for the 2013–14 season, however, they opted for a yellow away kit and a blue-and-white-hooped home kit. After a year, the club reverted to a white home kit with blue sleeves for the 2014–15 season. The kits were manufactured by Puma, who had a four-year deal due to expire at the end of the 2015–16 season. The deal was reduced by a year, since the club announced on 30 December 2014 that its kit would be manufactured by PlayerLayer for 2015–16.[58]

The club badge has a bee and arrow (B-arrow) as on the Barrow-in-Furness coat of arms.[1] It features an Astute-class submarine (representing the town's shipbuilding industry), a red rose (symbolising Lancashire), and a football. The badge was created by Thomas Minnican, who at the time worked at Vickers ship yard (Now known as BAE systems) as a painter. He won the Competition to design the badge after it was advertised in the local paper.

Stadium
Holker Street stadium grandstand
Holker Street stadium at dusk
Holker Street (known as the SO Legal Stadium for sponsorship purposes[59]) has been Barrow's home ground since 1910.[2] It had previously hosted Hindpool Athletic Football Club, and had been a rubbish dump.[60] The first game at the stadium was a 5–2 win for Barrow against Eccles Borough. The ground was gradually developed, so by the resumption of football after World War Two it had four fully-covered, terraced stands.[61] Its record attendance was in 1954, when 16,784 fans watched an FA Cup third-round tie against Swansea Town. Floodlights were installed in 1963,[5] and the ground hosted speedway meetings during the 1970s which necessitated the demolition of the "Steelworks End" (previously damaged by fire), the re-positioning of the pitch and the removal of the front rows of terracing.[60] After the speedway track was removed, the pitch was moved back to its original orientation and a new leisure centre with squash courts was built.[60]

Under Stephen Vaughan's ownership, an all-seater main stand (named the Brian Arrowsmith Stand in 2017) with a capacity of about 1,000 was built on the Wilkie Road side;[18] the only significant change since then was the removal of an unsafe roof over the Holker Street-end terraces. Described as having "a traditional, old fashioned feel",[60] the ground has three sides of terracing. The Brian Arrowsmith Stand is raised above the centre of the pitch, with flat standing on either side.[61] The Popular Side, opposite the Brian Arrowsmith Stand, consists of an area of covered terracing.[62][63] In the summer of 2020, a roof was added to the Holker Street End of the ground after the club had won promotion back to the Football League.[64]

In July 2022, SO Legal Ltd secured the sponsorship naming rights for Holker Street,[65] which saw the stadium known as the SO Legal Stadium[66] until the end of the 2023–24 season.

An infamous resident of Barrow was Maurice Flitcroft who although born in Manchester achieved infamy whilst he worked as a crane driver, Maurice blagged his way into the 1976 Open Qualifying were he majestically carded a 121 which in my book would have been a respectable score, he was subsequently banned but following the 1976 Open, the rules were changed to prevent Flitcroft from attempting to enter again. Undeterred, he regularly attempted to enter the Open and several other golf competitions, either under his own name or under pseudonyms, such as Gene Paycheki[12] (as in pay cheque), Gerrard Hoppy, and James Beau Jolley.[1] Other more ludicrous names used were Arnold Palmtree and Count Manfred von Hoffmanstel, together with physical disguises such as wearing a false moustache and dark glasses.

He was later banned from most golf courses by playing without permission



TBA

[themaclad]

Up next in pre-season for North End is a trip to Cumbria to take on Sky Bet League Two outfit Barrow AFC.

Ryan Lowe will take his PNE side to the SO Legal Stadium for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday 15th July.

North End’s allocation for the match had initially sold out, but more tickets have now been made available on Barrow's ticketing site.


For many of the PNE squad, it’ll be the first pre-season friendly in ten days, with the victory over Bruno’s Magpies in Spain being the last outing.

North End’s youngsters, however, were in action last Sunday as they left Gigg Lane with a 3-0 victory over Bury.



Since then, two new faces have been added to the ranks at Deepdale. Mads Frøkjær-Jensen sealed a move from Odense Boldklub, while Duane Holmes arrived from Huddersfield Town.

Both are not expected to be involved in the weekend’s match, however the former has now received a work permit.

Saturday will also mark the first official day of Calvin Ramsay’s loan from Liverpool, but the defender will not be taking part.

North End’s hosts Barrow have played twice so far during pre-season, winning their opener against FC United of Manchester, before coming out 8-1 winners against Holker Old Boys.

Since returning to the EFL in 2020 after 48 years away, Barrow have kept hold of their League Two status for three consecutive seasons.

The first two campaigns back in the fourth tier saw them finish 21st and 22nd respectively, but last season was spent at the other end of the table as Pete Wilde’s side finished ninth.

Barrow have also had a busy summer of business, including the arrival of Preston North End Academy product and striker Jamie Proctor.

[themaclad]

Match Report: Barrow AFC 1 PNE 0
14 Hours ago


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Preston North End were beaten for the first time in pre-season at the SO Legal Stadium as Barrow won 1-0.

A strong North End side was fielded in wet and windy conditions in Cumbria, but David Worrall’s fifth-minute goal proved enough to earn victory for the hosts.

There weren’t any debuts handed to the three new arrivals of the week, as Will Keane was an unused substitute, and Duane Holmes and Mads Frøkjær-Jensen were not involved, as expected.


New man Calvin Ramsay was also in attendance on the first official day of his loan from Liverpool, however he didn’t see his new side get off to a good start.

The hosts went ahead inside just five minutes courtesy of Worrall, who was able to tap home a simple finish at the far past after the ball had been squared by Ged Garner.


North End were inches away from drawing level just a few minutes later through Brad Potts, but his header on the end of Robbie Brady’s cross fell just wide of goal.

The same pair linked up again on 21 minutes with Potts’ header this time falling to Ben Woodburn who struck goalwards first time, however Tyrell Warren made a vital block on the goal-line to maintain his side’s lead.

Barrow could have found their second of the game when Elliot Newby received the ball in space on the left side of the box and he fired it across the face of goal, narrowly missing Garner at the far post.

Home goalkeeper Paul Farman made two good stops shortly before the break, firstly keeping out Ben Woodburn’s close-range effort before a fantastic 25-yard free-kick from Brady was parried wide.

Freddie Woodman made a good stop himself in the 56th minute, denying Newby with a clever save down low to his left.

At the other end, North End were being restricted to efforts from distance, with Brady and Woodburn both trying their luck but striking off target.

Half-time substitute Mikey O’Neill had a good opportunity in the 79th minute to draw his side level after being found by Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile. The striker, however, dragged his effort wide of goal.

North End’s 16-year-old forward then nearly got on the scoresheet in the next attack, being sent through on goal and firing a shot just the wrong side of the post, and that proved to be the last chance of note as Barrow came out on top.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Diaby (Cunningham, 67), Bauer (Storey, 46), Slater (Best, 46); Potts (Mawene, 78), McCann, Ledson (Taylor, 67), Browne (Kamara, 78), Brady (Seary, 73); Nelson (O’Neill, 46), Woodburn (Rodriguez-Gentile, 78). Subs not used: Pradic, Keane.

Attendance: 2,026.

[themaclad]

[themaclad]

Preston North End v Ipswich Town
Deepdale 19/7/2023 7.00pm

Recent friendlies



http://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread...#pid253560

https://www.not606.com/forums/ipswich-town.42/

https://www.itfc.co.uk/

Have absolutely zero clues as to why we are playing a friendly against a side who we will play twice in the league this season, although we did play Fulham in a pre season friendly in Ireland a few years back when we were both in the same division, lost it 5-0 though. I am tempted to go , if I do will do the opening match blog of the season

[themaclad]

Preston North End are back at Deepdale for the first time in over two months on Wednesday evening as they host Ipswich Town for a 7pm kick-off.

It could the first chance for the North End faithful to watch some of their new recruits, with Mads Frøkjær-Jensen and Will Keane both likely to feature.

However, Duane Holmes is set to miss out, while Calvin Ramsay will not be available as he continues the final part of his recovery from a knee injury.


PNE will be looking to improve on their last outing which saw Barrow come out 1-0 winners, while Ipswich Town drew 2-2 in their last pre-season friendly against Flyeralarm Admira in Austria.

On paper, it’ll be North End’s toughest test so far this pre-season, with the Tractor Boys back in the Championship following their promotion in the 2022/23 campaign.


Ipswich, led by former Manchester United assistant manager Kieran McKenna, ended their four-year stint in League One in style, by accumulating 98 points in what was a fantastic season for the East Anglian side.

They’ve strengthened since their promotion, too, adding midfielder Jack Taylor to the ranks from Peterborough United and signing former loanee George Hirst on a permanent basis from Leicester City.

Match Information

Tickets will remain on sale for this match right up until kick-off, priced at £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £1 for U11s.

These can be purchased in person from the ticket office at Deepdale, over the phone on 0344 856 1966 and online from www.mypne.com.

Due to the ongoing work on the Alan Kelly Town End roof, the stand will not be open and therefore no season card seats were reserved. Please also note, this fixture is not included in your season card so supporters wishing to attend will need to buy a match ticket.

If you can’t make it to the match, you can watch live on iFollow PNE with a £5 video match pass. Commentary will come from Guy Clarke and Andy Fensome.

Unfortunately Preston Hospital Radio are unable to provide the audio descriptive commentary for this fixture or the Aberdeen friendly, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to those who use the service.

A 32-page matchday programme will be on sale for £2.50 from around the ground on Wednesday, and you can also buy online. The latest issue of The One And Only is a double header programme for both of North End's friendlies taking place at Deepdale this week.

Supporters can also take in the pre-match atmosphere in the Gentry Bar, which will be open to PNE supporters from 4.30pm on Wednesday, with duo On The Edge performing live music pre-match. The Gentry Bar will then reopen after the match, closing at 10.15pm.

More details regarding the food and drink offerings at Deepdale will be confirmed in the Matchday Information article, which will be published ahead of your arrival at the ground.

[themaclad]

1 down HT Chaplin

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2 down Hirst

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1-2 Rodriguez-Gentile