City consider Preston switch
30 May 2008 - 13:54:49
Manchester City could play a 'home' UEFA Cup game at Preston North End's Deepdale ground next season.
The Citizens are looking for an alternative venue for their first qualifying round tie on either July 17 or 31 as the pitch at their Eastlands home requites extra time to recover from a summer of events including concerts and boxing matches.
Huddersfield Town's Galpharm Stadium is also believed to be under consideration by the hierarchy at the Premier League club.
"Deepdale is a superb stadium less than an hour away from Manchester and we've had tentative discussions with Preston about the possibility of staging the tie," a club spokesman told the Lancashire Evening Post.
City earned a surprise place in the UEFA Cup after securing qualification via the Fair Play table.
Sven-Goran Eriksson's side finished sixth in the Fair Play table, but the five teams above them had qualified for Europe via alternative routes.
