PNE supporters memories/stories
My first ever match at Deepdale - by Alex Atkinson
My earliest memory of the Pavilion Paddock was watching a charity match at Deepdale. I can’t remember the exact year but I must have been about six or seven years old. I started watching North End in the 1992/93 season.
This charity match was before definitely prior to that season. I remember going on the game with family, sitting next to one of my cousins. I can’t remember the score of the said match, I can only really remember one team playing in all red and one playing in all blue.
I have memories from that game of hanging over the side of the top tier and dropping sweets below. I’ve got many more memories of the Pavilion Paddock. The others that stand out for me was the F.A Cup 3rd round against Arsenal.
I couldn’t get a ticket for anywhere else in the ground, so I had to opt for the standing area of the Pavilion Paddock. I was stood right behind Arsene Wenger and Andy Gray, that game had a brilliant atmosphere to it.
My final memory of the Pavilion Paddock was from the pre-season of the 2006/07 season. The match was a friendly between Preston North End and Manchester United. North End won the match 2-1, I saw this match as my last opportunity to attend a match on the Pavilion Paddock.
I was really happy I did so. Going from my first time on the stand watching a charity match in the early 90’s to a friendly against Manchester United in the 2000’s. The final stand to be knocked down at Deepdale will always live in my memory.