NORTH End's sixth league game of the 1937/38 season was at Deepdale on a Monday evening, September 13, against unbeaten Charlton Athletic.
Not surprisingly Preston were unchanged after beating Liverpool 4-1 two days earlier.
Tactically PNE got it wrong in this game as once again, for some unknown reason, they depended on the big kick and rush, but to no avail.
With ball playing inside forwards like Fagan and Frank O'Donnell on the field of play they didn't need to resort to these tactics which quickly frustrated the Deepdale fans.
One national newspaper reporter wrote that he thought the kick and rush game was a 'colossal expenditure of energy'.
North End were unlucky early in the game in the fact that they had a headed goal by Dougal disallowed for offside much to the annoyance of the Preston fans.
In the second half North End again found the back of the net but Maxwell and O'Donnell were adjudged offside.
By this time tempers on the pitch were frayed but Charlton's stubborn defence held firm. Maxwell, the hat-trick hero from the previous game, could and should've won the game 15 minutes from the end.
It looked a formality to score but he somehow managed to scoop the ball over the crossbar from just three yards out.
Had this gift been taken Charlton would have had their backs to the wall but as it was they counter-attacked with Welsh passing perfectly to Hobbis who drove a low shot past Holdcroft for what proved to be the game's only goal.
PNE: Holdcroft, Beattie, Lowe, Shankly, Smith, Milne, Dougal, Fagan, Maxwell, O'Donnell (F), O'Donnell (H).
Charlton: Bartram, Shreeve, Oakes (James), Jobling, Oakes (John), Ford, Wilkinson, Robinson, Welsh, Lancelotte, Hobbis.
Attendance: 18,032.
Sixty years ago today (Sept 18, 1937) North End travelled to the Midlands to play West Bromwich Albion.
The game marked the return to the previously unaltered defence of Frank Gallimore in the place of Harry Lowe at right-back.
First choice Gallimore had been out injured since damaging his heel in a pre-season practice match.
Beresford replaced Fagan at inside-right. Fagan was not to play for PNE again as he was about to be transferred to Liverpool.
The after match reports of the game said the defences were always on top and that both teams failed to make the best use of their chances.
That definitely applied to West Brom as they fluffed the chance of winning the game by missing a last minute penalty.
Mahon had put the home side ahead early in the second half but North End's best forward on the day Hugh O'Donnell equalised.
This game marked the 100th league appearance of Jimmy Dougal in North End colours.
WBA: Adams, Shaw (G), Shaw (C), Murphy, Sandford, Sankey, Mahon, Jones, Richardson, Clarke, Wood.
PNE: Holdcroft, Gallimore, Beattie, Shankly, Smith, Milne, Dougal, Beresford, Maxwell, O'Donnell (F), O'Donnell (H).
Attendance: 23,537.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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