During the 2008–09 English football season, Preston North End F.C. competed in the Championship.
Season summary Having spent most of the previous season embroiled in a relegation battle, this season Preston edged into the play-offs in sixth place, pipping Cardiff City on the last day of the season. Though being level with seventh-placed Cardiff with 74 points and a goal difference of +12 each, Preston gained sixth place by virtue of having scored one more goal than Cardiff over the course of the season. The run of form that had seen Preston reach the playoffs saw manager Alan Irvine named the Championship's Manager of the Month for April.
Preston were drawn against third-placed Sheffield United in the semi-finals. United won 2–1 over legs, consigning Preston to another season in the second tier of English football.
Kit For the fourth consecutive season, Preston's kits were manufactured by Italian company Diadora, who introduced new home and away kits. The home kit was a white shirt with navy shorts and navy and white hooped socks, inspired by the club's kit from the late fifties and early sixties. (White shorts were worn for the away match at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 10 January). The away kit was a yellow shirt with navy sleeves, yellow shorts and yellow socks with navy turnovers.
Lancastrian support services company Enterprise remained Preston's kit sponsors.
Results
Legend WinDrawLoss
Football League Championship
Football League Playoffs
FA Cup
League Cup
Players First-team squad
Left club during season
Transfers
In +DateNationPositionNameClub FromFee30 June 2008MFBarry NicholsonAberdeenFree1 September 2008FWJon ParkinStoke CityUndisclosed1 September 2008FWStephen ElliottWolverhampton WanderersUndisclosed2 January 2009DFEddie NolanBlackburn RoversUndisclosed12 January 2009MFRoss WallaceSunderlandUndisclosed
Out DateNationPositionNameClub ToFee1 September 2008DFMatt HillWolverhampton WanderersUndisclosed9 January 2009MFJoe AnyinsahCarlisle UnitedUndisclosed27 January 2009MFJason JarrettBrighton & Hove AlbionFree30 January 2009FWBrett OrmerodBlackpoolUndisclosed31 January 2009MFLewis NealCarlisle UnitedFree
Loan In DateNationPositionNameClub FromLength31 July 2008MFRoss WallaceSunderlandUntil January29 September 2008DFJay McEveleyDerby CountyOne Month7 October 2008DFEddie NolanBlackburn RoversUntil January27 October 2008DFWayne BrownHull CityOne Month13 February 2009DFAndrew DaviesStoke CityOne Month26 March 2009MFLee WilliamsonWatfordUntil end of season
Loan Out DateNationPositionNameClub ToLength11 September 2008MFJoe AnyinsahBrighton & Hove AlbionOne Month11 September 2008FWKarl HawleyNorthampton TownOne Month31 October 2008MFLewis NealNotts CountyOne Month27 February 2009GKWayne HendersonGrimsby TownOne Month19 March 2009DFNeal TrotmanColchester UnitedOne Month20 March 2009FWKarl HawleyColchester UnitedOne Month
Notes
References