On this day: Ben Davies made his Preston North End debut eight years ago today

Preston North End defender Ben Davies made his first-team debut eight years ago today against Coventry City at Deepdale.
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The clash on January 26, 2013, finished in a 2-2 draw, Graham Cummins and Nicky Wroe on target for the Lilywhites.

Davies was aged 17 and played at left-back in place of David Buchanan.

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Back then did we realise that eight years on, Davies would be such a key figure in North End's defence?

Ben Davies shakes hands with the Coventry players ahead of his Preston North End debutBen Davies shakes hands with the Coventry players ahead of his Preston North End debut
Ben Davies shakes hands with the Coventry players ahead of his Preston North End debut

Who would have thought the Barrow boy would be stalling on a bumper new contract, with a number of clubs eyeing the situation with interest?

PNE manager of the time Graham Westley obviously saw something in Davies to fast-track him from the youth-team and plunge him into first-team action.

Westley had brought in Davies and Ryan Croasdale from the youth-team to train with the senior squad following a 3-1 defeat to Walsall a fortnight earlier.

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Speaking after the teenager's debut, Westley backed him to have a very bright future in the game.

Ben Davies puts in a challengeBen Davies puts in a challenge
Ben Davies puts in a challenge

Westley said: "I went away after the Walsall game feeling we had been beaten by a bunch of kids and I can’t remember that happening too often in my managerial career.

"When that happens you open your mind a little bit and I thought it was a good opportunity to see what our kids could do.

“I’ve brought a couple into the training shake-up – sometimes you have to be brave and go with your instincts.

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"The minute I saw Ben in our environment, he made the same sort of impression on me which George Boyd did at Stevenage.

Ben Davies walks out of the tunnel at Deepdale ahead of his Preston North End debut against Coventry in January 2013Ben Davies walks out of the tunnel at Deepdale ahead of his Preston North End debut against Coventry in January 2013
Ben Davies walks out of the tunnel at Deepdale ahead of his Preston North End debut against Coventry in January 2013

"I expect George Boyd in this window or the next to move to the Premier League, and I’m not embarrassed to say that Ben has the same sort of potential.

“He got himself up and running as the game went on and was calm and composed. That was a terrific debut."

North End had to ride a Coventry storm in the opening 20 minutes, with goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann performing heroics.

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It was PNE who nudged ahead in the 29th minute though, Jeffrey Monakana's low cross from the right knocked home by Cummins.

Leon Clarke quickly levelled for Coventry and the Sky Blues took the lead after half-time when PNE defender Chris Roberts turned the ball into his net trying to cut out Carl Baker's cross.

Davies played a big part in PNE's equaliser, his cross from the left headed down by Jack King into the path of Wroe who fired home.

The teenager played the following game, a 2-1 home defeat to Shrewsbury, before being an unused substitute in a 3-0 defeat at Colchester.

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He then started the 3-1 defeat at Yeovil on February 13 which was Westley's last game in charge - he was sacked the following morning in a meeting with Peter Ridsdale at Waterloo Station in London.

Davies didn't feature in the team again that season and spent the whole of the 2013/14 campaign on loan at York City.

He returned to Deepdale to play the first six games of the following season but was then loaned to Tranmere.

Further loans followed at Southport, Newport and Fleetwood before Alex Neil brought into the first-team fold at North End in August 2017 - and he's been there ever since.

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Davies now has 144 appearances for Preston under his belt. How many more will he play in a PNE shirt?

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