play the loyalty card FOOTBALL has changed over the last 15 years. The game is now a multi-million pound business full of multi-millionaire footballers, all seemingly looking for their next big move and their next lucrative signing-on fee. So what makes a player stay with one club for all that time? Dany Robson meets Preston's Lee Cartwright to find out. FOURTEEN years ago Rick Astley was riding high in the charts, Neighbours was a new TV phenomenon -- and Lee Cartwright was at Preston.

More than a decade later, Neighbours characters are household names, Rick Astley is long forgotten -- and Lee Cartwright is still at Preston.

The winger is one of a rare breed in football nowadays -- a one man club.

He's been at Deepdale since he was 14 -- he's 28 now -- worked under seven managers, been part of promotion and relegation and even watched the pitch turn from plastic to grass.

"I've seen a lot," laughed Lee, who was born and still lives in Rossendale with his fiance Angela, three-year-old son Rowan and recent additions twin daughters Ellie and Aimee.

It has turned into a long Deepdale career for a lad who, when he made his first team debut aged 17, thought he was just going along for the bus ride to Shrewsbury in the old Third Division!

"I thought I was just going to lay the shirts out as the manager then Les Chapman used to take a few of the young lads along.

"Then he took me to one side and told me I was playing. I went white. I was absolutely petrified."

But it went okay -- it was a 1-1 draw -- and Lee has been there or thereabouts with the first team ever since.

"You tend to worry when a new manager comes in -- especially when you've been through seven! -- whether they'll like you or not. "Luckily I've featured in all the managers' plans so far. That's why I guess I have never moved on. I've never felt I needed to."

Lee went to Fearns High School and was brought up surrounded by Burnley fans.

"But I've never supported them," he's quick to point out. "I tended to follow all the teams round here.

"Oldham were doing well at the time but I was really a Manchester United fan.

"But my mates do give me some stick now.

"It's been okay recently as we've beaten Burnley but if we've lost, they'll find me from the other side of the pub and they're straight over to give me some grief!"

There hasn't been too much grief on the pitch as Lee has been through Preston's highs -- and only occasional lows -- in their rise from the old Fourth Division to this season's First Division campaign.

A pitch has come and gone -- the old plastic now a distant memory.

"Away teams moaned about the plastic but we had to play on it all the time. We were sick of it as well!"

Then there were the managers, starting with John McGrath onto Chapman, Sam Allardyce, John Beck, Gary Peters and the current 'gaffer' David Moyes.

And Lee couldn't even begin to count how many players have been through North End's doors since he started there.

"A lot have been acquaintances as they weren't at Preston long enough! I've stayed in touch with those I wanted to, the likes of Graeme Atkinson, Gareth Ainsworth and Andy Fensome. "But it's just part and parcel of being a footballer."

Another part of 'being a footballer' is giving out and taking stick but Lee says he stays out of all the mickey taking.

"I just sit at the back and listen. I keep out of the way.

"Parks (Gary Parkinson) or Greegs (Sean Gregan) tend to take the mickey nowadays but I'm not usually picked on as they know I'm quiet."

The highlight of Lee's career so far is playing at Wembley in 1994 in the Third Division play-off final against Wycombe.

"We did lose 4-1 but running out onto Wembley was awesome. I can always say I have played there."

And the worst?

"Probably when I did my cruciate ligaments about four years ago. It was against Scunthorpe. The match was supposed to be called off because the pitch was waterlogged.

"We were getting ready to go home and then it was suddenly on again, and I went in for a tackle and that was it.

"I was out for nine months and have two huge scars."

But Lee recovered and now reckons he's 'got about six years' left as a professional but hasn't yet planned for the future. "I don't want to go into coaching. It's not really my scene. I don't like shouting or trying to get my points across. I'm not boisterous enough.

"To be honest, I wouldn't mind a little delivery job. I love driving around.

"All my mates work nine-to-five. I am privileged playing football but I won't mind falling into line with them."

Lee still manages a social life -- but it's been limited with the addition of the twins.

"I still manage to sneak out in Rossendale sometimes but it's a lot less.

"I also play golf. I go to Rossendale Golf Club but usually to Towneley with my dad, brother and brother-in-law.

"I can get round in the early 80s so I'm okay although the twins have kept me at home recently."

But Lee will have to make time for the events in his testimonial year which started a couple of Saturdays ago with a cabaret at Deepdale.

"I was shocked that they wanted to put on a testimonial for me," said the unassuming Lee. "Some of the supporters said they'd set some things up for me -- a Cabaret night, a golf day and hopefully a match in May, once the season's over.

"I guess I feel a bit embarrassed about it really, the supporters having to put their hands in their pockets for me as footballers are reasonably well-paid.

"I'd have never thought of a testimonial but it's nice someone else wants to do this for me."