Preston North End are on the hunt for a play-off spot in the Championship and their season resumes against Cardiff City.
The Lilywhites find themselves in fifth place after beating Blackburn Rovers in the Lancashire Derby in their final match before the international break. A good test awaits Ryan Lowe's side as the Welsh outfit travel north just outside the top-six and seeking a response after their collapse against Norwich City.
It will be 14-years and seven months since we saw one of the largest wins at Deepdale. Cardiff had been on the hunt for an automatic promotion spot and their hopes were dashed with that defeat, and more was to follow. Neil Mellor opened the scoring with a brace inside the first-half and Andy Lonergan saved a Ross McCormack penalty which would turn out to be huge on the grand scheme of things. Paul McKenna made it three, then an own goal from Mark Kennedy made it before, and then Chris Brown and Lee Williamson made for an emphatic victory.
PNE ended up finishing sixth that season and Cardiff ended up missing out in seventh. They were tied on +12 goal difference, and so PNE finished ahead of Cardiff on the virtue of goals scored with just one more goal scored than them. If McCormack had converted his penalty and made the scoreline a bit more respectable then it could have been a different story.
North End finished sixth but lost to Sheffield United in the semi-finals, and then Lancashire rivals Burnley won promotion after beating the Blades 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a Wade Elliott goal.
Flick through to see what the team from that day in April 2009 are up to now.
1. GK: Andy Lonergan (Everton)
A big North End hero. More than 230 appearances for the club. He’s been a back-up or a third choice at several clubs since leaving. He’s at Everton now, but has yet to play a competitive game for the Toffees but has been on the bench this season. Photo: Getty Images
2. Youl Mawene (Fleetwood Town, coach)
Joined from Derby County in 2004 and made more than 175 appearances. Left for Greece, and later played for Aberdeen and Fleetwood Town before retiring. He’s a fitness coach now for the Cod Army. His son Noah is now a first-team player for PNE.
3. Eddie Nolan (Waterford, coach)
He retired in the summer of 2023 with his last club being Waterford in Ireland. He will remain there as an academy coach. Photo: Getty Images
4. Sean St Ledger (Leicester City, scout)
Retired in 2018 with his last team being Guiseley. He has worked as a scout at Leicester City in recent years.