Skip to main content

The Gentry Dedications & Tributes

The Gentry Dedications & Tributes

Main reason I am going this year was my Mum passing away on New Years Eve.
Although not really a Nobber she went to a few matches with my ol' man before he passed away far too soon back in 1989, aged 52
He was a true Nobber, a long time season ticket and the reason for inflicting the pain of supporting North End to me and my sister.
Now they can watch together from above.
 
Joe Etherington.

A dear mate and massive fan of sport in general, as well as the North End.

Tragically died by suicide last year.


Also, my Nanna, Audrey Ball who departed us just last week, not a Preston fan herself but very much a football widow to my Grandad and lifelong supporter, Ted who passed in 2020.
 
Mick(wack)Murphy.
Captain of my pool team and good buddy
Bumped into him at pre Christmas meet at St Catherine’s hospice where he was taking part in Santa dash(wheel chair)
Chatted again when we met up in the hospice when I was a driver for day therapy and he had a right go at me for taking a picture of us when we won a trophy for pool when we had a (guess the person in the picture comp)
He said he won the dash and Ladbrokes were giving 100/1 on him winning it.
His last words to me was “see you after Christmas”
We never met up.
RIP mate.
 
Joanpne said:
the wonderful Stuart Bolton and Shaky and Dirk (I cant remember his username properly but he was the one with the avatar😉) God bless them all.
Click to expand...

I remember all three and though I would have been at matches with them I didn't know them personally - sometimes had little spats here with Shaky about the merits of Andy Lonergan, whom Shaky didn't rate but I did. Stuart Bolton was BoltonsPNE and Dirk was DirkPNEmouse - I seem to recall we were promised an explanation of Dirk's name here but I don't recall one ever being provided.

I have to remember my dad who took me to my first PNE match a 0-0 draw with Grimsby on Easter Monday 1963 though in fact he had previously taken me to a PNE All-Stars match against a team of Burnley veterans at Fulwood barracks with Tom Finney playing which, as I recall, we won 7-3. His last match was the 0-3 home defeat against Colchester at the fag-end of the Simmo reign in I think it was September 2007 (it is the month not the year I am unsure about) that he left at half-time not because he had given up on the team but because he literally no longer had the strength to continue. I would guess he probably knew as he made his way round the back of the Kop towards Lowthorpe Road to catch the bus back to Brookfield that it might be his last match. He actually passed from this life a couple of months later in the Royal Preston Hospital just a couple of days before the new regime of Alan Irvine started.

But I would prefer to remember something rather more upbeat. He was a very astute judge of football and a match I remember was that 3-0 defeat of Blackpool when David Moyes was manager when we scored all our goals in the last 15 minutes or so at the Town End starting with that thunderous David Eyres freekick. I had driven up from London that morning and was sat with my dad in the STFS and remember that in the first 15-20 minutes or so of the match our opponents seemed the better team - sharper, quicker to the ball - and I was actually quietly bemoaning the fact to myself. But then - and I am not making this up - my dad turned to me and uttered the following words: "This lot are no good - they'll crack." The point is, though, he was talking about Blackpool. I still don't know what it was he had spotted but he had seen something febrile about them something that meant that when they came under pressure they would, as he said, "crack" and, of course, they did even though it took another hour. After that Eyres freekick went in they collapsed and we ran riot sticking another two away.

That is why when we had that banner made during the Covid period one of the names on it was 'ernest's dad' - I still genuinely don't know what it was he had seen about our opponents that day but he was right.
 
ernest said:
I remember all three and though I would have been at matches with them I didn't know them personally - sometimes had little spats here with Shaky about the merits of Andy Lonergan, whom Shaky didn't rate but I did. Stuart Bolton was BoltonsPNE and Dirk was DirkPNEmouse - I seem to recall we were promised an explanation of Dirk's name here but I don't recall one ever being provided.

I have to remember my dad who took me to my first PNE match a 0-0 draw with Grimsby on Easter Monday 1963 though in fact he had previously taken me to a PNE All-Stars match against a team of Burnley veterans at Fulwood barracks with Tom Finney playing which, as I recall, we won 7-3. His last match was the 0-3 home defeat against Colchester at the fag-end of the Simmo reign in I think it was September 2007 (it is the month not the year I am unsure about) that he left at half-time not because he had given up on the team but because he literally no longer had the strength to continue. I would guess he probably knew as he made his way round the back of the Kop towards Lowthorpe Road to catch the bus back to Brookfield that it might be his last match. He actually passed from this life a couple of months later in the Royal Preston Hospital just a couple of days before the new regime of Alan Irvine started.

But I would prefer to remember something rather more upbeat. He was a very astute judge of football and a match I remember was that 3-0 defeat of Blackpool when David Moyes was manager when we scored all our goals in the last 15 minutes or so at the Town End starting with that thunderous David Eyres freekick. I had driven up from London that morning and was sat with my dad in the STFS and remember that in the first 15-20 minutes or so of the match our opponents seemed the better team - sharper, quicker to the ball - and I was actually quietly bemoaning the fact to myself. But then - and I am not making this up - my dad turned to me and uttered the following words: "This lot are no good - they'll crack." The point is, though, he was talking about Blackpool. I still don't know what it was he had spotted but he had seen something febrile about them something that meant that when they came under pressure they would, as he said, "crack" and, of course, they did even though it took another hour. After that Eyres freekick went in they collapsed and we ran riot sticking another two away.

That is why when we had that banner made during the Covid period one of the names on it was 'ernest's dad' - I still genuinely don't know what it was he had seen about our opponents that day but he was right.
Click to expand...
Loved reading that Ernest along with all the other posts about Dads and relatives. Thank you for sharing the memories everyone, we will remember all of them tomorrow.
 
I’ve just read all of this thread and all the comments/tributes on the official club Facebook page.
What a fantastic way of remembering this is, truly unique to our club and I’m very proud of what is now a great annual tradition.
This year I will be thinking of my father in law Ron Johnson 1929-2023 who passed away last September.
He was a ‘Finney man’ ….could never talk about North End without mentioning Sir Tom.
It’s been quite an emotional breakfast 💙
 
My dad and uncle took me on my 1st Pne game in 1964 .It was to burden park to see Bolton v Pne 3rd round of fa cup which was a 2-2 draw when I had the pleasure of seeing the great Alex Dawson .I was hooked .Been to virtually every ground in the country to see PNE but my dad passed without having his and my dream full filled which was seeing PNE return to the old 1st division and later the Premiership.I hope I can see the dream for him .Rest in peace dad .
 
My mother died last June aged 97. She never attended a game but right to the end of last season always asked me, "How did they go on?"

Also my grandad ,in 1971, on his deathbed asked me if I had been down to watch North End.

Good luck to The Gentry today
 
Joanpne said:
Loved reading that Ernest along with all the other posts about Dads and relatives. Thank you for sharing the memories everyone, we will remember all of them tomorrow.
Click to expand...
My Dad died 5 years ago, I've never included him in the Gentry tributes because he wasn't a North End fan but after 60 odd years I think I've made up for both of us.
 
Back
Top