Looking back: Preston's FA Cup horror show against Whitley Bay in December 1989

The Whitley Bay goalkeeper punches clear under pressure from Preston North End midfielder Warren Joyce in PNE's FA Cup defeat at Hillheads Park

Preston North End suffered humiliation in the second round of the FA Cup at the hands of Whitley Bay in December 1989.

The Match of the Day cameras were at a packed Hillheads Park to see the side from the HFS Loans League dump the Lilywhites out of the famous competition.

Around 1,200 PNE fans were in the away end to witness it, having queued at Deepdale a couple of weeks earlier to get their hands on tickets for the sell-out.

It is fair to say that many of them crossed off Whitley Bay as a future holiday destination once they had witnessed defeat on the Tyneside coast.

PNE's Ian Bogie on the attack against Whitley Bay

North End had beaten old foe Tranmere in the first round to set up this clash with the non-leaguers.

Hopes were high of a run in the cup to give a much needed cash boost.

Ahead of the kick-off, legendary BBC commentator John Motson – clad in his sheepskin coat – walked across the pitch to take up his commentary position on a temporary scaffold gantry.

Bar a short spell in the first half, North End were dreadful on the day.

Goalmouth action from PNE's FA Cup defeat at Whitley Bay

They were out-worked by their part-time hosts who found the net in either half through Peter Robinson and Kevin Todd.

PNE boss John McGrath didn’t give his side a hiding place afterwards, conceding the best side had won.

McGrath said: “Without naming them, certain individuals let us down and they let themselves down.

“This was a day for battlers and we didn’t have enough people prepared to die for the cause.

Brian Mooney tries to find a way through the Whitley Bay defence - the PNE fans are in the background

“When you are up against a team playing in the biggest game of their lives, you at least match them stride for stride.

“We never recovered from going a goal down. When they went in front we got desperate, started chasing the game instead of settling down and trying to pull thing together.

“Full marks to Whitley Bay, they won on merit. They were enthusiastic and gave it their best shot.”

PNE fell behind in the 32nd minute,Brian Mooney’s foul on Warren Teasdale giving away a free-kick.

Preston's Mark Patterson gets up for a header against Whitley Bay

Paul Walker lifted the ball into the box where it was headed out as far as Lawrie Pearson on the edge of the box. His low shot struck a team-mate on the heel and fell into the path of Robinson who shot low past Alan Kelly.

The home side doubled that lead in the 59th minute, North End failing to halt a 40-yard run by Tony Dawson down the right.

When his low cross wasn’t cut out, Pearson was first to it and laid the ball into the path of Todd who drilled a left-foot finish across Kelly.

Mike Flynn came on for his PNE debut after signing from Norwich, the centre-half pressed into action as an emergency striker.

Towards the end he sliced a shot wide from just three yards. But to attach blame to him for this result would be totally wrong.

PNE: Kelly, Williams, Atkins, Hughes, Swann, Mooney (Flynn 68), Joyce, Bogie, Harper, Patterson, Ellis. Sub (not used): Rathbone.

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