Michael John Preston (born 22 November 1977) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

. He was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. Preston was one of four trainees joining

in February 1994, after five existing trainees had been sacked by the club. His league debut came the following season: he made eight league appearances on the

right wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...

as Torquay finished bottom of

, only avoiding

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

to the

Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

because

Stevenage Borough Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...

's ground failed to meet the required standard. He turned professional in July 1996 and made two substitute appearances over the following Christmas period. However, he received knee cartilage and cruciate ligament damage in a reserve game at home to

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

on 28 January 1997 and was never to appear in the Gulls' first team again. He was eventually released at the end of the 1997–98 season and joined Weymouth that summer. In 1999–2000, Preston was playing for South Western League club

Holsworthy Holsworthy is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Torridge District, Torridge district of Devon, England, some west of Exeter. The River Deer, a tributary of the River Tamar, forms the western boundary of the paris ...

, and before the 2000–01 season, he joined fellow South Western League side Saltash United but made limited appearances due to persistent knee problems. Preston eventually retired from playing competitively at the end of the 2002–2003 season and now works as an electrician.

References

External links

* 1977 births Living people Footballers from Plymouth, Devon English footballers Association football wingers Torquay United F.C. players Weymouth F.C. players English Football League players Saltash United F.C. players Holsworthy A.F.C. players {{England-footy-midfielder-1970s-stub