North End unearthed a gem when they picked up Irish international defender Eddie Nolan on an initial three-month emergency loan deal in October 2008.

Injuries thrust the young but versatile defender into the first team squad on a far more regular basis than boss Alan Irvine could have envisaged, and such was his progress during his loan spell that Preston agreed to make the move permanent in January for an undisclosed six-figure sum which is dependant on his progress.

A cultured, ball-playing defender who has featured in every defensive position for PNE, he was born in Waterford on August 5th 1988 and has since represented the Republic of Ireland at every level from U16 to full international status, including spells as captain of the U19 and U21 sides.

His full international bow came as a result of his North End form; being selected to start in the Republic or Ireland's May friendly against Nigeria at Craven Cottage before being named on the bench for the World Cup qualifier in Bulgaria a few days later.

Alan Irvine's in-depth knowledge of the game was shown through this signing; the manager seeing the defender's potential despite him only making one senior appearance for Blackburn - as a substitute in their 1-0 UEFA Cup win over AS Nancy in December 2006 - and playing in a handful of first team games for Stockport County and Hartlepool United during previous loan spells.