Lancashire nostalgia in 1996: Preston North End promoted; Daleks and Ryan Giggs

Promotion to Division Two for North End

Preston is set to go promotion crazy - with a massive knees-up to celebrate North End’s season of success.

The town’s delighted mayor Terry Cartwright promised an official civic reception.

And as well as promotion, the team could be celebrating the Division Three title.

Coun Cartwright said: “We have organised an open top bus to pick up the team from the Deepdale ground on Bank Holiday Monday, May 6.

“It will take them along Deepdale Road and into the town centre for a civic reception at the Harris Museum. I’m sure the fans will be delighted, it’s years since anything like this has happened.”

He added: “It’s tremendous news for Preston. I think if you have a successful football team then the town follows through.

“I have supported Preston North End since I was a child and I am really pleased that they have moved up to Division Two. I have a gut feeling that is the start of things to come and it won’t be long before they’re in the Premier division.”

The town’s most famous son PNE legend Tom Finney saluted the team that won promotion with a 2-0 win at Leyton Orient.

Calling all budding Daleks

It’s a club Jim, but not as we know it... because the members of this new group are out of this world.

The Dead Planet Society, which meets in Chorley, hopes to attract “aliens”, Daleks and Starship Enterprise members for its weekly trips to another planet.

Founder member of the club, Paul Finan is an avid Science Fiction fan and wants to beam up oithers to Chorley to join him in re-living some of his sci-fi fantasies.

Paul, of Netherley Road, Coppull, said: “Although we have just started up, the society’s founder members already want to come to meetings dressed up as Daleks, aliens and other creatures.

“This is a great chance for people to re-live their childhood. We are all interested in the classic sci-fi stuff and our club will appeal to anyone who appreciates Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr Who and other similar things.

“We called ourselves Dead Planet Society because The Dead Planet was the very first episode of the Dr Who Dalek programmes.

“There are so many people interested in science fiction that I thought a club would be a good opportunity for us all to get together.”

The Dead Planet Society meets every Wednesday at 8.30pm upstairs at the White Hart pub on Mealhouse Lane in Chorley.

Beam me up Scotty!

I missed out on signing Giggs

The Preston North End talent scout who let Ryan Giggs slip through his fingers confessed: “I could kick myself.”

Fred O’Donoghue was chief youth scout at Deepdale when £12m rated Welsh international Giggs was set to try out for the team.

But although the 14-year-old Ryan Giggs turned up for a practice he was unfit and could not play and went home without a contract.

Fred, of Conway Avenue, Penwortham, said: “He wasn’t fit that night and we didn’t want to sign him without seeing him play.

“We could not make a decision to sign him on schoolboy terms because he was injured but we should have followed up.

“I could kick myself for not following up. He was a lovely lad.”