Preston North End and the Original Invincibles

The phrase 'Invincibles' is often associated with modern football, but Preston North End had earned it more than a century earlier. In the Football League's inaugural 1888–89 season, Preston played twenty-two league matches without defeat and finished as champions. They also won the FA Cup without conceding a goal in the competition, completing an extraordinary league-and-cup double. Managed by William Sudell, Preston set a standard that would be admired for generations. Their achievement came in a very different footballing world, with different tactics, equipment and travel arrangements. Nevertheless, the essential feat remains instantly understandable: an entire league season without losing. It established Preston as one of the great pioneering sides of organised English football.