THEY came to salute their heroes. It has been a long time coming ... but it has been well worth the wait. Thousands of jubilant North End fans swarmed into Preston Flag Market on Monday for a triumphant celebration in honour of their winning team.

There were grandfathers, mothers and devoted followers of famous football. Kids with painted faces. Dads with grins as wide as the Ribble. It looked like the whole town had turned up to watch the crowning of the Division Three champions.

The crowd - egged on by PNE's Barmy Army - sang itself hoarse as it cheered the team and the man who made it all happen - manager Gary Peters. By far the biggest roar went to the Citizen's Player of the Year - the great, the fantastic, the bald and toothless - King Andy Saville.

What a great day for football. They all came to the best party of the year. There was fun, laughter and not a hint of trouble. Even the sun broke out.

We've seen nothing like it for 25 years, whan Alan Ball took Preston to the Third Division championships.

Proud Preston North End - the whole town has something to believe in and to be proud of.

Onward Division Two!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.