TWO of Preston's longest-serving players left the club this week -- and Craig Brown admitted he didn't want to lose either of them.

Stalwart centreback Michael Jackson has opted to join Second Division Tranmere Rovers on a two-year deal after rejecting a new cut-price deal at Deepdale which came with the caviat that he couldn't expect guaranteed first team football.

And Preston born-and-bred keeper, David Lucas, has also bailed out, signing for Sheffield Wednesday, also in the Second Division, after spending two loan spells at Hillsborough last season.

North End were offered £100,000 for Lucas last week, accepted it subject to personal terms, but admitted they didn't really want to lose Lucas.

Brown now faces the prospect of searching for another keeper as well as an extra defender. The Scot had already hoped to sign one defender over the summer, but the departure of Jackson means he will probably be looking for a pair now.

That's in addition to new wing players and probably a striker too.

Now fans face an anxious wait to see who Brown brings in to replace his departed men -- Lee Briscoe, Jeff Smith and Rob Edwards have also gone -- over the summer.

Brown said: "We are getting on with things quietly, and we aren't complacent."

Jackson's departure at the age of 30 seems something of surprise -- he was North End's most regular centre-half last season.

He had been offered a 12 month deal at Deepdale, but the promise of first team football and a two year deal at Prenton Park appears to have been too much to resist.

Jackson is known to those at Prenton Park, having had a loan spell there in the season before last.

Lucas, who has made 150 appearances for North End, has slipped behind Jonathan Gould and, more recently, fellow home-grown keeper Andrew Lonergan at Deepdale.

That prompted the loan move to Wednesday last season, and it is thought a deal would have gone through sooner had he not been injured while in Yorkshire.