Manic Monday is how those who work in the annuls of Deepdale will record the 27th October 2008. New contracts for fans' favourites Sean St. Ledger and Neil Mellor and the arrival on loan of Wayne Brown from Premiership high-flyers Hull City. All in a days work for hard-working Chairman Derek Shaw!
The official website caught up with him after all the deals had been done and ink had dried and he admitted that although these things take time, everything had come together on the new deals for St. Ledger and Mellor quite quickly.
"It hasn't been that long. We've had the option on both players which had to be signed in January and really in this day and age with the Bosman ruling and everything a three-year-deal can be more like 18 months, because you've got to start looking ahead because if a player gets in to the last year they can move on for nothing.
"We didn't want that happening with either player so we began negotiations quite early and in all fairness the lads have been very cooperative and they wanted to sign for us. Obviously they want the best deal for themselves and we want the best deal for the football club; usually there's a compromise in the middle and we got there."
And to get two fans' favourites tied up for a number of years was something the PNE chief was delighted to have done: "Without a doubt! Without any disrespect to Neil, Sean is probably the number one fans favourite at the moment he's done remarkably well since he joined us two and a half three years ago. Neil has had a slower start he's really got up to full fitness the back end of last season and this season just found himself out of the starting 11, but I think we have a lot more to see from Mellor and I'm looking forward to it.
"A lot of centre forwards fans have probably noticed in the close season who were 30-plus and they were going for over a million pounds and people like Chris Iwelumo who has broken into the Scotland side at the age of 31, so there's plenty to come from the likes of Neil Mellor. Sean to this day probably gets a ribbing off the lads about his days at Peterborough, but Sean has been absolutely great here he's always willing to put the Club forward he's been fantastic and everyone at the club admires him. He's a great lad."
One thing both players cited in their reasons for wanting to commit was the influence of manager Alan Irvine: ""The lads are right behind the management team," continued Shaw. "Although we've had a bad month we've got to look at the bigger picture than that.
"We could win our next two games and be right back in there. So there's a lot of football to be played in the balance of this season, but every one of the players has the utmost respect for Alan and I'm sure the results will be coming back for us when our luck changes a little bit."
The final order of the day was to get Wayne Brown to put pen to paper on a one-month emergency loan from Hull and the boss was happy to conclude this deal quickly: "I'd like to thank Hull, because they've helped us out there because there is quite a few clubs chasing him.
"He's vastly experienced at this level we've run the gauntlet since day one really because Trotman's been out, Chilvers has been out as well and with Sean picking up the knock on Saturday. There is a possibility he will be fit for tonight the physio tells me, but we feel to bring Wayne in for a month will be a good plus for the club. Alan obviously feels that it is a little bit too much of an ask at this stage to throw Eddie Nolan in at the deep end, as he hasn't even played in a reserve game for us at this stage.
"You've got to have a squad to compete at this level and thankfully we've had lads that could come in, but I'm sure the manager will have a big smile on his face when he can add to the like of Richard Chaplow, Callum Davidson, and Chris Brown back in.
"Wayne Henderson is on his way back now as well; Neal Trotman is getting better week by week as well, so he should be back with the first team soon. But it's been very difficult because we have had key players unfit, but I'm sure Alan will not want to use that as an excuse. But it is difficult and the sooner they can get in to the first team squad the better."
Get down to Deepdale support the side on Tuesday night, 7.45pm kick-off against Watford - call now on 0870 442 1966 and pick up your tickets at the game, thus avoiding the queues; alternatively pay cash on the Bill Shankly Kop turnstiles!
