Chasm between clubs was there for all to see - Preston fan Tim Mercer reflects on the heavy 4-0 defeat at Middlesbrough

But in the away stand those around me showed what Gentry Day is truly about as we sang our hearts out despite the scoreline.

I must also tip my bowler hat to the Boro fans who then applauded us and to last season’s hero Cameron Archer.

Yes, the young Boro loanee from Aston Villa scored twice against us, but had the guts and respect to come over and applaud us at the finish despite a mixed reception at the start of the match.

Clearly that winning goal against Blackpool and his overall experience of a year ago has had an impact on him and he also understood what this special day means to a North End fan.

And so onto the game itself. Whilst the first half was pretty even, the hosts always carried more threat when going forward and it felt inevitable and only a matter of time before they scored. Cue theirs, and the Championship’s, leading goal scorer to cut between the lines and duly put the ball away for a half-time lead.

Preston started the second half with a Troy Parrott substitution for midfielder Ryan Ledson in an attempt by manager Ryan Lowe to get a second striker on the pitch to help out an otherwise isolated Tom Cannon.

That would have been fine if Parrott is a holding type of forward, at least in part, in the mould of the injured Ched Evans.

It is for certain he is not and for my money has been a disappointment since his arrival on loan from Tottenham at the start of the season.

The overall effect was to further weaken a midfield that by then simply could not cope with the quality of the host’s forward play and cutting edge.

Time and again I lost count of the running and passing which broke through the North End lines and with the final score a fair reflection of where these two clubs currently are.

With the season effectively over, we must hope that we can beat Blackpool and Blackburn at home to at least give us some cheer on what will be another disappointing mid-table finish.

And lest we get complacent, it is imperative something positive is done in the summer if we don’t want to be at the wrong end of the table in 2023-24.