DON’T believe what you read in the papers – Preston taught us a lesson last Saturday.

Admittedly not on the pitch – though at times in the second half I was grateful that John Arne Riise wasn’t around to threaten our near post – but in how to treat spectators, and their own history, with respect and prove that comfortable facilities can still be provided even when resources are thin.

Deepdale has been completely rebuilt in the last 15 years, yet they’ve managed to retain the sense of history surrounding the oldest professional football site in the world while producing a smart, modern stadium perfectly sized for their league status.

In naming the stands after club legends, including one of our own, they’ve shown the footballing soul of the club is never to be lost, the seat mosaics built into three of them providing fitting, attractive tributes to their heroes rather than sponsors’ logos.

Better than a set of gates? You decide.

No wonder the National Football Museum is housed on the site.

You’ll either love or mock the programme printed on recycled paper, and as an avid collector (sad but rewarding) I’ll confess I fear mine falling to bits when I revisit it in about 15 years’ time.

But it was packed with good articles and features on, among others, Neil Mellor, Peter Thompson, Gordon Milne and of course Bill Shankly.

I’ll even forgive them the sin of printing a reversed picture of Thompson showing the Liver Bird back to front (isn’t that 20 years’ bad luck?); bizarrely I’ve seen this many times over the years.

In the concourse of the Bill Shankly Kop (nice ring to it don’t you think?) further treats were in store.

Plenty of TVs on show so we could watch the scores come in from around the country on third round day while munching on genuine Lancashire pies; the cause of many gasps as Forest racked up the goals at Eastlands, and of a mighty roar as Southend scored a late equaliser at the Bridge.