STAND by for rivalry within the Hoyle family as well as on the pitch when Preston visit the Galpharm for Saturday’s eagerly-awaited League I derby.

For Huddersfield Town chairman Dean Hoyle’s father-in-law Gerry Cooke is a North End season-ticket holder and lifelong-supporter.

And it turns out Town fans owe a debt of gratitude to Gerry and his wife Barbara, whose daughter Janet met her future husband at a campsite in Settle when the pair were both 15.

“Gerry and Barbara loaned us £5,000 to start our first business,” explained the greetings card tycoon who has pumped in cash to back the club’s push for the Championship.

“The banks didn’t want to know at that time so their support was absolutely crucial in getting us up and running.”

Hoyle, who sold his Card Factory chain for £350m in 2010, added: “Barbara jokingly challenged us to open 10 shops in 10 years, and in the end we had 500!”

Gerry – who along with his son-in-law and other Town fans completed the sponsored bike ride to Southend in 2009 – is looking forward to the game as much as Hoyle.

He and Barbara and a group of their friends will join Hoyle and Janet in the directors’ box for the meeting of the promotion rivals.

“We’ve been waiting for this fixture for a long time,” added father of two Hoyle, himself a Town follower since childhood.

“I can remember standing with Gerry and his friends in the home section at Deepdale when we drew 3-3 (in 1989-90) and making the mistake of cheering when we scored our first goal!

“Gerry took it quite well, but the other Preston fans around us weren’t so happy. He had some explaining to do and I had to stay quiet for the rest of the match!”

Whatever happens on Saturday, when the famous old clubs who have twice met in FA Cup finals face each other for the first time in 10 years, the family will still be talking afterwards.

“It’s a very friendly rivalry between us, and Dean and myself have enjoyed footballing banter ever since I’ve known him,” said Gerry, age 70.

“He’s obviously had success in business, but he’s still the same down-to-earth bloke he’s always been, and as Town fans will know, he loves his football and his club.

“I’m Preston through and through. I watched Tom Finney, and what a fantastic player he was, play for us in the old First Division.

“And I was at Wembley when West Ham beat us in the in the 1964 FA Cup final, which apart from the result, was a fantastic day.

“I sometimes come to watch Town when Preston are playing away, and I enjoy talking to the supporters over in Huddersfield.

“We’re both clubs who at one time or another have been the biggest in the country and are now trying to get back up to the level where we belong.

“I want Preston to get back up to the Championship, obviously, but I would love it if Huddersfield came with us as well, and I suppose a draw would be the best outcome on Saturday!”

Preston are expected to bring up to 3,000 fans across the Pennines and Hoyle added: “It’s a proper old-school derby between two good sides.

“They’ll give us a real test and it will an interesting gauge of how things are going, because we fully expect them to be up there at the end of the season.”

Preston, sixth to Town’s second in the table after losing 1-0 at Walsall on Saturday, have a big home clash with Sheffield United tomorrow.

Strikers Neil Mellor (ankle) and Ian Hume (hamstring) are injury doubts for both the Blades and Town games.