‘I’ve had to tell my mum not to bother with Mother’s Day,” quips Preston fan Tom Bates. The 29-year-old has forgone the purchase of flowers, cards and the prospect of a Sunday roast to buy a ticket at Deepdale for North End’s first FA Cup quarter-final in 59 years.
The past six decades have brought Preston six relegations and promotions, a third and fourth division title and a solitary Lancashire Senior Cup. Since they triumphed in the League One playoff final in 2015 their seasons have been humdrum: they have finished between seventh and 14th each season and this is the first time they have got beyond the fourth round in either cup. It has given supporters such as Bates, who saw his first match when he was two, little to celebrate. The visit of the Champions League side Aston Villa to Lancashire will be one of the biggest days in the club’s recent history, played out in front of a vociferous crowd of 23,400. A tie at Wembley awaits the winners.
