It will be an historic evening on Wednesday when Liverpool travel to play Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, the club where managerial legend Bill Shankly spent his playing days.
On December 14 1959, Liverpool embarked on an incredible journey with Shankly.
He is regarded by many as the most important man in the club’s history.
Shankly took the Reds from no hope in the second division to dominating English football.
When Shankly arrived from Huddersfield in 1959, it was unknown just how much success he could deliver.
No one could have anticipated three league titles, two FA Cups and a European Cup.
He also laid the foundations for his successor Bob Paisley, who would go on to help the club dominate English and European football in the 70s and 80s.
However, Shankly was not all just about accumulating silverware.
Time and time again he expressed the importance of interaction with the fans, who he insisted were the most important part of the whole club.
Shankly once famously said: “I was made for Liverpool where the people that matter most are the ones who come through the turnstiles.”
His opinions on the Liverpool fanbase highlight what a special relationship he formed with them in his time on Merseyside.
In his autobiography, he said: “A manager has got to identify himself with the people because their team is something that really matters to them.
“In return, the support of the Liverpool fans for their team had been incredible.”
However, it is not just Liverpool where Shankly has a legacy.
He spent most of his playing days at Preston North End who Liverpool visit on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup 4th round.
Shankly was just 20 years old when he was picked up by Preston in 1933 and he went on to make an impressive 297 appearances.
He reached the pinnacle of his playing career at Preston in 1938 when he helped his side finish third in the league and more memorably, win the FA Cup against Huddersfield in the last minute of extra time, a club he would go on to manage.
Despite many enjoyable memories for Shankly at Preston, poor timing with the Second World War meant the great Scotsman missed his peak years.
He was 33 by the time the war was over, with his place in the first team now gone.
Although it is his managerial career he is remembered for and specifically his time at Liverpool, Shankly is still certainly adored by Preston fans.
Wednesdays cup fixture between Preston and Liverpool is an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Shankly at both these privileged clubs.
(Featured picture courtesy of Luis Garcai, creative commons licence)
