A-K
696) ALLARDYCE Sam (PNE signed Aug 86 – 93 apps 2 Gls goal) (WBA 1 app 0 gls)
862) ANGELL Brett (PNE signed Feb 2000 – 15 apps 8 gls) (WBA 3 apps 0 gls)
838) APPLETON Michael (PNE signed Aug 97 – 115 apps 12 gls) (WBA 33 apps 0 gls)
735) ASHCROFT Lee (PNE signed July 91 – 155 apps 35 gls) (WBA 90 apps 17 gls)
140) BOURNE Dickie (PNE signed 1902/03 – 62 apps 6 gls) (WBA 9 apps 1 goal)
581) CLARK Clive (PNE signed Jan 70 – 72 apps 9 gls) (WBA 301 apps 80 gls)
854) CLEMENT Neil (PNE signed Mar 99 – 4 apps 0 gls) (WBA 204 apps 19 gls)
837) DARBY Julian (PNE signed June 97 – 35 apps 1 goal) (WBA 39 apps 1 goal)
250) DAVIES Stan (PNE signed 1919/20 – 24 apps 11 gls) (WBA 147 apps 77 gls)
918) DICHIO Danny (PNE signed July 2005 – 34 apps 0 gls) (WBA 66 apps 14 gls)
130) FENTON Freddie (PNE signed 1901/02 – 20 apps 0 gls) (WBA 6 apps 1 goal)
394) FITTON Arthur (PNE signed 1932/33 – 62 apps 18 gls) (WBA 96 apps 11 gls)
829) GREGAN Sean (PNE signed Nov 96 – 212 apps 12 gls) (WBA 79 apps 2 gls
25) HENDRY Billy (PNE signed 1889/90 – 11 apps 1 goal) (WBA 18 apps 4 gls)
395) JONES Harry (PNE signed 1932/33 – 1 app 1 goal) (WBA 120 apps 54 gls)
813) KILBANE Kevin (PNE signed July 95 – 47 apps 3 gls) (WBA 106 apps 15 gls)
*For future reference each player now in our list of players has been given a number which is to the left of the players name. For example Kevin Kilbane is 813 meaning he is the 813th player to wear the Preston shirt. We hope to continue this throughout the season in future features.
Player Profile – MICHAEL APPLETON
Michael Appleton was born in Salford on 4th December 1975. He started his career with Manchester United signing professional forms in July 1994. he could not break into the first team at United and only played for the first team twice both of these in the League Cup.
Appleton made is league debut for Lincoln whilst signing on loan in September 1995. He made total of 4 appearances.
The following season he signed on loan with Grimsby in July 1997 making 10 league appearances and scoring 3 goals.
Appleton joined Preston in August 1997 with two other ‘Fergie's Fledglings' in Jonathan Macken and Colin Murdock. Appleton transfer to Preston was a club record at the time of £500,000. This was aided by the transfer of Kevin Kilbane to West Brom in June 1997 for a club record fee of £1.25 million.
Appleton made his PNE debut in the Coca-Cola Cup 1st Round 1st Leg tie against Rotherham at Millmoor in a 3-1 win. Appleton made 38 league appearances during 1997/98 season scoring 2 goals, his first at Bournemouth in February 1997 as PNE finished mid table.
Following a play-off defeat against Gillingham in the 1998/99 season Appleton obtained a Division Two Championship Medal in 1999/2000 season having made 26 league appearances.
Preston's first taste of second tier football for 20 years saw Appleton only miss two matches in the first 27 league games of the 2000/01 season. His final league appearance fror the club was an away defeat against Wimbledon on January 13th 2001 after 121 league appearances and 12 goals.
Appleton turned down an improved contract which the manager David Moyes would have made him on of the best paid players for the club and eventually moved to West Brom for £750,000 on 18th January 2001. Two months earlier he had played against West Brom and was sent off for two bookable offences in a 3-1 defeat at the Hawthorns.
After signing for Albion he made his debut at home two days later in a 2-1 win against Sheffield United. Gary Megson had signed him as cover for Derek McInnes who had been injured for the previous three months. Appleton only missed one game for West Brom in the remainder of the 2000/01 season.
Appleton nearly missed the start of the 2001/02 season after a sending off in a pre- season friendly in Denmark against Haderslev, luckily it didn't carry a ban.
Then in November 2001 he damaged his posterior knee ligament after an accidental challenge in training with Des Little. This was to rule him out of the remainder of the season as the recovery time was 4-9 months.
He had hoped to be back for the start of the 2002/03 Premiership season but aggravated his injury in May 2002 ruling him out for the rest of the calendar year.
Appleton made his comeback in a reserve game in February 2003 playing 30 minutes in a 3-1 home defeat against Manchester United reserves. On the 3 March 2003 he started a reserve game away at Newcastle in a 5-1 defeat. But the following week he was still having pain in his knee and was told he required a further operation.
Appleton tried to battle his way to fitness again but on 13 November 2003 it was announced that after three operations on his knee Appleton had been forced to retire from the game. He had made 33 league appearances for Albion.
He was offered a scouting role by West Brom straight after his retirement and started the fast-track UEFA coaching course taking on some coaching for Albion's youth players.
The argument over his injured knee continues between his legal team and the surgeon which won't be resolved until early next year.