THIS week we launch the ABC of PNE, a lookback at Preston North End's history with a slightly different twist...

A is for Attendance. Preston's highest ever attendance at their Deepdale ground came in 1938 when a record 42,684 people packed into the ground to watch a championship deciding game against Arsenal on April 23.

Ultimately, North End lost 3-1, with Jimmy Milne damaging his collarbone during the match.

At the other end of the scale, PNE's smallest recorded crowd for a league match was a pitiful 2,007.

The small band of fans watched North End lose 1-0 to Scunthorpe United on November 5, 1985, a game which was remembered because the date of the match had to be switched because of floodlight problems.

The lowest noted crowd for a cup match was 751, a figure recorded for the January 28, 1986, tie against Bury in the Freight Rover Trophy game.

Last season's highest gate was 21,099 against Arsenal in the FA Cup third round, which North End lost 4-2.

B is for Blackpool. They have been the local enemy ever since the two sides started playing each other back in 1901 when the Seasiders made the 15-mile trip to Deepdale, a game which ended in a draw.

As a rule, matches between the two clubs tend to be quite tight but there have been some thrillers through the years. In March 1926, Preston beat Blackpool 6-4, with five different players scoring for North End..

Preston North End's heaviest defeat came during the 1947-48 when Blackpool annihilated the North Enders 7-0. North End avenged this defeat in 1955 with a 6-2 thrashing at Bloomfield Road.

Last season's local derby at Deepdale produced a shock 2-1 win for Blackpool, one of the results which effectively finished off North End's automatic promotion hopes.

C is for Championships. North End can boast winning the divisional championship an impressive seven times, the first of which came in the 1888-89 season, when they won 18 of the 22 games in the first football league season, a term which included 7-0 wins over Stoke and Notts County.

They won the title again the next season, although they didn't win as many games, but they did notch up a fantastic 10-0 win over Stoke.

The second division championship became North End's in 1903-04 and 1912-13 and then 1950-51. After being relegated to the third division, North End clambered back into the second when they won the title in 1970-71.

North End's last title win was in the 1995-96 season when they drew 17 of their 46 matches. However, a 2-0 win at Hartlepool United gave the club a record 12 away wins for a season which sealed a return ticket to Division Two.

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