Huge FA Cup wins, Crouchy's first Spurs hat-trick - five facts ahead of facing Preston...

We first played Preston North End competitively in the FA Cup on this day - 27 January - all the way back in 1900.

Then in the Southern League, we lost that first round clash 1-0 to our illustrious First Division opponents in front of 7,000 fans at Deepdale. A year later, we'd be back in Lancashire at the same stage of the competition, this time producing a stunning 4-2 win in a replay on our way to writing history by becoming the first and only non-league team to lift the famous trophy.

As we go back to Deepdale in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday (6pm), here are a few facts, stats and connections between the teams over the years...

Was our white kit adopted as a compliment to Preston?

So goes the story... our now world-renowned kit of white shirts and navy blue shorts was adopted in August, 1898 as a compliment to Preston North End. However, writing in the excellent The Spurs Shirt book, authors Simon Shakeshaft, Daren Burney and Neville Evans explain... there is no primary evidence whatsoever to suggest that Spurs chose white shirts and blue shorts as a tribute to Preston North End... what has generally become an accepted fact, passed down from one history book to another, appears to originate from the 1921 history (book) which states, 'about this time time the club colours were changed to white shirts and blue knickers (shorts). This was a compliment to Preston NE, who were then one of the best teams in the country'. The source of this 'fact' is not stated, but may well come from the 15 July report in the Weekly Herald which included the sentence, 'the Spurs will this year wear the famous Preston North End colours, snow white shirts and navy blue knickers'. But there is no mention here of Spurs' new choice of colours being inspired by the exploits of Preston some 10 years earlier. The newspaper was simply stating the fact that its local team would be playing the forthcoming season in the colour scheme that Preston were - at the time - the most famous club to wear. It would appear the writer of the 1921 history has made an assumption whilst looking for a reason for the colour change similar to that which led the club to emulate Blackburn Rovers in the mid-1880s. And once printed in an official history in black and white, the myth was repeated and perpetuated over time until it became 'fact'.

Played for both - 'Sandy' Tait

Ten players switched between Spurs and Preston between 1898-1931 - including one of the biggest names in the Club's history. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, Alexander 'Sandy' Tait arrived from Deepdale in 1899 having had spells at the likes of Motherwell and Rangers before moving south in 1894. A child worker in the pits back in Scotland, Tait was as tough as they come, but also a fine footballer, a left-back who played over 400 games for us, including 202 in the Southern League. He was a key player for the team that won the Southern League in 1899/90 and the historic FA Cup triumph in 1901, the only non-league team to win the competition. Appointed captain in 1904, he moved on to Leyton in 1908.

123 years of FA Cup history

We've been paired against Preston nine times in the FA Cup - our first competitive match a first round tie 123 years ago to the day, a 1-0 loss on 27 January, 1900 - ties producing 11 matches including replays. We've progressed from five of those nine ties - including notable successes over 100 years ago. Indeed, back to our historic FA Cup win of 1901, we faced Preston, then in the old First Division, in the first round. The first game was a 1-1 draw at the Lane and we followed up by stunning the Lilywhites 4-2 at Deepdale. 'Sandy' Brown was the hero with a hat-trick, with John Cameron also on target. Brown scored in every round - 15 in total - as we stunned the football world by lifting the trophy after a replay in the final against Sheffield United. Twenty years later, we were final-bound again, this time after beating Preston in the semi-final at Hillsborough. Bert Bliss netted both goals in a 2-0 win and we lifted the trophy for the second time thanks to Jimmy Dimmock's winning goal against Wolves in the final at Stamford Bridge. However, the tables were turned a year later as we were back at Hillsborough for another semi-final in April, 1922, defending the trophy - Preston beat us 2-1.

Dream debut for a double-winner at Deepdale

Terry Medwin joined us from Swansea on the last day of the 1955/56 campaign and lined up for his debut against Preston at Deepdale on the opening day of the 1956/57 season. He didn't disappoint, scoring twice a 4-1 win and sharing the scoring with Johnny Brooks, who also bagged a brace. Now 90, Terry made 215 appearances for us, scoring 72 goals, including a goal in the 1962 FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United. He started the final as we retained the trophy against Burnley at Wembley.

Hat-tricks against the Lilywhites

Five players have scored hat-tricks in 123 years of competitive football against Preston North End. First up, as mentioned above, Sandy Brown scored a hat-trick in an FA Cup first round replay on our way to winning the trophy in 1901. Next up, Ernie Newman's highlight of four years at the Club, a treble in a 6-2 win against Preston in the old First Division in October, 1911. Fast forward to February, 1953, and Len Duquemin suffered the footballing rarity of scoring a hat-trick but not winning, as we drew 4-4 against Preston at the Lane. Our final match against Preston in the top flight was also a notable one. That came towards the end of the double season, 1960/61, with Cliff Jones firing a treble in a crucial 5-0 win at the Lane - just over a fortnight later, we secured the title thanks to a 2-1 win against rivals Sheffield Wednesday. The fifth and final hat-trick was in our last meeting in 2009. Peter Crouch bagged his first matchball for the Club as we ran out 5-1 winners in the third round of the League Cup at Deepdale, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane also on target.

13.02.1901 - Sandy Brown - Preston NE 2-4 Spurs - FA Cup, first round replay
28.10.1911 - Ernie Newman - Spurs 6-2 Preston NE - First Division
21.02.1953 - Len Duquemin - Spurs 4-4 Preston NE - First Division
01.04.1961 - Cliff Jones - Spurs 5-0 Preston NE - First Division
23.09.2009 - Peter Crouch - Preston NE 1-5 Spurs - League Cup, third round