Few fans have witnessed more ups and downs at Preston North End than 88-year-old supporter Jack Hayes.

The long-serving fan has just renewed his season ticket at Deepdale, 78 years on from his first visit to the hallowed home of the Lilywhites.

The surrounds may have changed somewhat since the first time he graced the famous ground as a schoolboy, but Jack is confident that the Club can reach the Premier League as he set about reserving his seat in the Alan Kelly Town End for the 2008/09 campaign.

The Bamber Bridge-based supporter took time to speak to PNE.Com on Wednesday about his memories of Preston North End before he headed out for a busy afternoon of competition down at his local bowling club.

He said: "The first time I ever went to Deepdale was to watch Brownedge St Mary's, who used to play on Saturday, in their cup final. I was only ten-years-old at the time.

"There was about six or eight of us and from that day I started going on to watch North End.

"I used to have a season ticket in the Paddock - I used to stand there for years. The first time I got a season ticket was just after the War because my wife bought it me for my birthday and then I bought her one in return.

"We used to go to all the matches together. When we got to the FA Cup final against West Brom, she went to the game but because we had three children I had to stay behind.

"I used to go to watch North End before the War in a pair of clogs. You wouldn't be allowed that now in case you used them on someone! I used to ride up on my bike and a lot of houses on Deepdale Road had front gardens so the people would charge threepence to look after it.

"I once went on there when they had a fire under the Town End. Somebody must have dropped a cigarette end and they had to whip all the fans off onto the pitch while they put it out. We were alright though because we were stood in the Paddock and they finished the game after.

"I still enjoy going now. My granddaughter sells the programmes so I go up with them just after quarter past twelve on Saturday for a three o'clock kick-off. They drop me at Deepdale Labour Club, so I go in there and have a couple of halves and a few rum and blacks. I stop there until about twenty to three before I walk down to the ground."

Known affectionately at his local bowls club as 'Tiger', Jack's season ticket renewal was never in doubt, even if North End had been relegated.

And as expected, the avid North Ender is delighted that they have preserved their Championship status under the tutelage of Alan Irvine.

Jack, who also owns a brick in the Sir Tom Finney Walk of Fame said: "He (Alan) seems to have done alright up to now and his ideas seem to be good. He likes to play attractive football and that's what the fans want to go and watch especially if Preston are getting a goal or two.

"He's come in and stopped the goals from going in. I think he will sort them out this next season and I don't think he'll stand much messing.

"We might end up getting a few Scottish players because I'll tell you, they can play football up there! At one time we had nearly the entire Scottish team playing at Deepdale."

Indeed, the aforementioned era is a period which Jack recalls with great fondness, a time when North End were challenging in the top-flight and had a host of legendary players on their books.

The father-of-six explained: "I used to go watching Bill Shankly playing at half-back and Jimmy Milne as the other. We used to have a silly centre-forward called Jimmy Dougal who used to do all sorts of daft tricks. When it was muddy, he'd dive full length to head a ball instead of using his feet.

"Another that I remember is Joe Marston. He made his debut at Blackburn at full-back and was hopeless, absolutely hopeless! Then they switched him to centre-half and he never looked back.

"We had a half-back called Willie Forbes too who was a mate of mine. He used to lift attackers up in the air on the blindside of the referee. Everyone knew Forbes and if ever there was a young North End player getting knocked about, he used to sort the culprits out."

Jack also had the privilege of watching the great Sir Tom Finney in his peak and has many first-hand memories of the Club's finest ever player.

He added: "It was great with Finney. I once went to watch North End play at Bolton and their ground was a total mud patch. It was just rolled mud!

"In those days the fans would mix and I was stood with the wife next to two big blokes. Bolton had a full-back called Banks and he was a rough diamond. In the first five minutes he whipped Finney's legs from under him and these two Bolton fans said "that's it, show him what to do".

"I turned round and said to them, "when Banks goes off from here he will be as black as that mud". Finney got his own back because he took the ball to him, set off and when Banks went for him, he pulled up dead.

"At half-time when they went off, Banks was as black as coal. In the second-half, he came out with a clean shirt on and Finney did him again!

"I also saw Tom make his debut, which was a great game. There was another lad called Andrew McLaren who played his first game at the same time - he was a Scottish lad. Finney was outstanding considering it was his first game and you could see straight away that he was better than a lot of the other players that they had there.

"We used to have a centre-half called Joe Dunn, who lived at Lostock Hall. Unfortunately he died and they had the funeral service at Brownedge Church and I went because it was my local church.

"When we got inside there was a long pew and I happened to be sat near to Sir Tom. There was no one between us so I went across and had a word with him because when our second child born, Finney's wife was in the next bed to my missus.

"We used to go to the hospital at night and we used to chat a bit when we had to wait downstairs. I leaned over to him and said, "I bet you don't remember me, but do you recall mine and your wife being next to each other in the hospital?". He was chuffed because it was quite a long time ago."

Follow Jack's lead and reserve your season ticket at Deepdale for the 2008/09 season. Click here for more details