Preston North End were promoted to the Championship via the League One Play-Offs seven years ago after missing out on 2nd place on the final day.
The Lilywhites required a victory over Colchester United on the final game of the season to take the runner-up spot behind Bristol City. A loss to Colchester United and a 5-1 victory for MK Dons over Yeovil Town saw the sides swap positions and Preston face the play-offs.
They were ultimately successful in their play-off bid through, defeating Swindon Town 4-0.
Here, we look at Preston’s starting squad for the final and where the players are now…
Sam Johnstone – The Preston-born goalkeeper spent the season on loan from Manchester United and he’s now plying his trade in the Premier League with Crystal Palace
Tom Clarke – Clarke played an impressive 211 league appearances for Preston over seven years. He is now with local club Halifax Town after stints with Fleetwood and Salford respectively.
Bailey Wright – The Australian international left for Bristol City in 2017 after seven years in Lancashire. Nowadays, he plays for Championship side Sunderland, for whom he has featured 14 times this season.
Paul Huntington – Huntington spent ten years with the Lilywhites and left when his contract expired last summer. He is now playing for hometown club Carlisle United notching up over 300 appearances at Deepdale.
Calum Woods – Since leaving in 2019, Woods has had short-term spells at Bradford City and Tranmere Rovers but he find himself outside the EFL with Welsh side Bala Town now.
Neil Kilkenny – Kilkenny left Preston North End after their first season in the Championship, signing for Melbourne City. He now spends his days playing for Western United in his native Australia.
John Welsh – After 143 league appearances for Preston, Welsh left in the summer of 2018. He had subsequent spells in the National League and he is now a member of the coaching staff for North End’s academy.
Daniel Johnson – After signing in a bargain deal back in 2015, Johnson has played over 300 games for the club. He’s out of contract at the end of the season but is currently vice captain to Alan Browne.
Jermaine Beckford – After scoring a hat-trick in the final, Beckford remained at the club for a further two years and left for Bury in 2017. He has since retired from playing.
Joe Garner – The Preston North Endsupporting striker departed for Scottish giants Rangers in 2016 but has since returned to England. He now plays for Fleetwood Town, who are managed by Scott Brown.
Paul Gallagher – Gallagher remained at Preston for the remainder of his career and was named the Fans’ Player of the Decade in 2019. He subsequently retired in 2021 so he could become a first-team coach for then manager Frankie McAvoy, and now Ryan Lowe.
