SOME games will go down in history - and this was one of them. One of those games you feel honoured to have watched as PNE destroyed Sheffield United 3-0 (3-2ag).
If anyone had sent the script to Boy's Own or Roy of the Rovers magazine it would have been returned as being "far too fanciful".
Imagine the scene. North End are two goals down from the first leg at Bramall Lane against the First Division outfit and they are parading a new striker, making his home debut . . .
Five minutes of normal time remained, Preston had got the two goals back and were level at 2-2 with everyone looking to extra time and then maybe a penalty shoot-out.
Preston had the United goal under siege with raid after raid, looking for the winner to take them into the third round but Simon Tracy in the Sheffield goal was playing out of his skin.
He stopped shot after shot, from Cartwright, Macken and Mathie twice in a brilliant display of goalkeeping.
One minute into stoppage time, with the referee consulting his watch, North End tried again.
One last attack before extra time.
Alex Mathie received the ball to the right of goal.
The Sheffield United defenders hesitated for just a fraction of a second, back came Mathie's right boot to make contact with the ball and not even Tracy could do anything about the shot as it crashed past him into the net.
Amazingly, there was a delay of a full second before the North End supporters took it in.
There was the ball in the net and Preston had produced a frantic fight-back.
Deepdale erupted into scenes of celebration. The noise was deafening and the fans who had wanted the match to go on only seconds earlier now wanted that final whistle.
When they got it, Deepdale was in raptures.
It had all started so well for Preston as they hemmed United into their own half and it came as no surprise when they took the lead on 15 minutes.
Rob Edwards rolled a free kick into the path of Graham Alexander and from 25 years he hit a stunning shot high into the top of the net.
The battle was on.
Preston had to wait until 11 minutes into the second half to get a second goal.
Jon Macken chased a lost cause to the goal-line and played the ball back to Lee Cartwright.
The Preston winger looked up, saw Mathie unmarked at the near post and put the ball to him to perfection for the Preston striker to smash the ball into the net.
Sheffield United looked for extra time; North End wanted to finish it in 90 minutes.
Cartwright won the ball in a tackle on the edge of the box, took the ball on a couple of yards and then hit a scorching shot that Tracy saved at full stretch.
Paul McKenna released Macken and an explosive shot was on its way to the top corner until Tracy beat it away.
Preston threw everything into attack, Macken had another effort brilliantly saved by Tracy and twice the keeper kept out powerful shots from Mathie.
United had to crack - and they did in those closing moments as Mathie hit the winner.
Fantastic stuff.
Preston now wait for news of their opponents in the third round and their supporters will enjoy the memories of a marvellous night at Deepdale.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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