I'd only been to two away games this season so thought I'd take in one last trip before the summer. And boy am I glad I did! Having become accustomed to dull atmospheres at City Ground games, it was a pleasant reminder of how much fun following the Reds was.

Getting there

Me and my brother took the official Forest coach service to Preston. It was a reasonable trip although we seemed to have drawn the short straw as our coach had no TV and no toilet. The TV I wasn't too upset about as I'm well aware of the quality of films normally shown on these trips, but it was a tough task keeping my bladder under control.

Inside the ground

I like Deepdale. I've been here before to visit the impressive football museum but not to see a game. Despite the rather shoddy looking Pavilion Stand terraces, the new stands are all very smart with good facilities and seemed to generate a fair bit of noise.

Before the game

There was a good atmosphere in the Forest end and it seemed most of the travelling 3,000 were determined to enjoy the end of season party. Songs were sang for all the players and a number of inflatable toys were being thrown around the stand, not to mention the odd mention of Derby's relegation.

Match Action

It was a fairly enjoyable game, despite the result. Forest gave play-off chasers Preston far too many chances, but got a few of their own as well.

After the game

Both teams came back onto the pitch for a walkabout after the game and received a warm welcome from boths sets of fans.

The fans

The Red Army were, as usual, excellent. They kept singing all the way through and they were some great comedy moments such as the polite request over the tannoy: "Would the Forest fan with the whistle pleae stop ruining the game?" which was greeted with a large barrage of whistles making it impossible for the ref to be heard.

© All pictures are copyright of LTLF 2002.