After covering an incredible 654 games, a sports reporter has worked his final shift reporting on the club that he loves.

Dave Seddon spent 13 years covering his club Preston North End at The Lancashire Post, seeing eight managers come and go in the course of that time.

Now, he is off to take on an as-yet-undisclosed new PR role outside the world of football and newspapers.

In a first-person piece for the Post on his departure, he shared some of his highlights of his time as its senior football writer.

Former Preston North End manager Alex Neil talks to Dave Seddon.

Wrote Dave: “I’ve been the LEP’s senior football writer covering PNE’s fortunes for 13 years and it’s been an absolute honour doing the job, following the fortunes of a club I first started watching at the age of four.”

Speaking of the managers he interviewed, he added: “I got on well with all of them, there were the occasional cross words and difference of opinion with some, but there has been a mutual respect between manager and journalist.

“Maybe I’m biased saying this, but I strongly believe football clubs need the local media and vice-versa.

“National coverage is sparse beyond the Premier League, a token effort at times unless the club has previously been in the top flight.”

Dave was also involved in covering the club’s financial troubles as there were three winding-up orders issued from the taxman.

And as well as one relegation during the 2020/11 season, he was lucky enough to witness a play off final victory at Wembley against Swindon Town in 2015.

He said: “It was an enjoyable but tough gig covering the aftermath at Wembley, a late Sunday afternoon kick-off not giving too much time to get copy written before the print deadline that night.

“The players naturally wanted to celebrate and it was a while before they started to emerge into the mixed-zone interview area.

“Typical too, hat-trick hero Jermaine Beckford had been selected for a random drug test and couldn’t be interviewed until he’d produced his sample.”

Dave is now taking on a new PR and comms role which he has yet to reveal the details of.