When North End paid an undisclosed fee for 22-year-old Daniel Johnson towards the end of the January transfer window they were getting a player already tried and tested in League One.
The cultured midfield man signed for the Lilywhites after successful loan spells earlier in the campaign with both Chesterfield and Oldham Athletic.
And life at Deepdale has been a positive experience for the new PNE No.24 so far, as he explained when he sat down with The One And Only at Springfields just before the trip to one of those former loan clubs.
He told the matchday programme that he was enjoying life, but was even more focused now, after making a permanent move to Lancashire, rather than a temporary one, as his two previous transfers had been in 2014/15.
“The boys and all the staff have really made me feel welcome and I’m really enjoying it at the moment and I couldn’t be happier right now,” said the Jamaican-born player.
“I’ve really got to know the lads really quickly and they’ve really made me feel like I’ve been a part of the team for quite a while now. So it’s been really good and I’m really enjoying it.
“It’s always a weird one going into a changing room with a group of lads that you’ve never met before, so other loan moves prepare you in a lot of ways. You just get the hang of it really quickly and you’ve just got to communicate with the lads and talk to the lads and in no time you will feel that you’re a part of the group and you’ve settled in.
“It’s a bit different because now this is where I’m going to be permanently. With the other two moves it was always going to be a case of me going back to my then parent club, Aston Villa, but now I’m here this is actually who I’m playing for now and this is who I’m signed for so it’s different, but I’ve got the hang of it really quickly.
“With the loans it’s a case of just going out there and playing and expressing yourself, because you’re going to go back to your club and the aim is to go back to your club and try and get a place in the team.
“But with moving on permanently it’s like, ‘okay I’m here now, what I’ve got to do is get myself in the team and once I get in the team I’ve got to stay in the team and I’ve got to keep performing and get a bond with the lads’.
“The communication with the lads comes after every training session, after every game, and even off the pitch as well. It helps, it really does help, and the lads have been really fantastic so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
You can read much more from Daniel in Tuesday’s 100-page edition of The One And Only. We also have a diary from Joe Garner, interviews with John Thomas, Oshor Williams, Gary Brazil, Alan Kelly, Sean Haslegrave and much, much more.
We have more than a dozen pages on our visitors, plus some astonishing unseen photos from the collection of Club historian Ian Rigby; plus features with Jordan Hugill, Jermaine Beckford, Scott Wiseman and Andy Little.
It will be available on the night still for the fantastic value price of just £3. They will be on sale from Tuesday afternoon from the Club shop, online and in person from our sellers inside and outside of Deepdale.
Don’t forget; The One And Only is also available to download on your iPhone and iPad via the Matchday Digital app.
The Matchday Digital App allows you to view the North End programme anytime, anywhere. You can make one-off purchases or take out a season pass so you are subscribed to the whole season. If you can’t make the game, simply download the programme on the Matchday Digital app and be part of the game.
The slick digital version comes with all the content you would have in the printed programme, but with added features including:
• Programmes available to fans any time, anywhere
• Download back copies from past games
• Programmes will be made available for purchase worldwide
• Easy to use curl or slide ‘turn page’ technology
• Keyword search taking you straight to a particular player or feature
• Pinch screen feature to zoom into articles or images
• Add articles to Facebook or Twitter via the social media feature
• The Matchday Digital app is free to download on to your iPhone/iPad.
Preston North End supporters can download an individual issue at £2.99 or take out a season pass for £49.99.
Download the Matchday Digital app on your iPhone or iPad for free by going to the iTunes App store on your iPhone/iPad and search for ‘Matchday Digital’.
And life at Deepdale has been a positive experience for the new PNE No.24 so far, as he explained when he sat down with The One And Only at Springfields just before the trip to one of those former loan clubs.
He told the matchday programme that he was enjoying life, but was even more focused now, after making a permanent move to Lancashire, rather than a temporary one, as his two previous transfers had been in 2014/15.
“The boys and all the staff have really made me feel welcome and I’m really enjoying it at the moment and I couldn’t be happier right now,” said the Jamaican-born player.
“I’ve really got to know the lads really quickly and they’ve really made me feel like I’ve been a part of the team for quite a while now. So it’s been really good and I’m really enjoying it.
“It’s always a weird one going into a changing room with a group of lads that you’ve never met before, so other loan moves prepare you in a lot of ways. You just get the hang of it really quickly and you’ve just got to communicate with the lads and talk to the lads and in no time you will feel that you’re a part of the group and you’ve settled in.
“It’s a bit different because now this is where I’m going to be permanently. With the other two moves it was always going to be a case of me going back to my then parent club, Aston Villa, but now I’m here this is actually who I’m playing for now and this is who I’m signed for so it’s different, but I’ve got the hang of it really quickly.
“With the loans it’s a case of just going out there and playing and expressing yourself, because you’re going to go back to your club and the aim is to go back to your club and try and get a place in the team.
“But with moving on permanently it’s like, ‘okay I’m here now, what I’ve got to do is get myself in the team and once I get in the team I’ve got to stay in the team and I’ve got to keep performing and get a bond with the lads’.
“The communication with the lads comes after every training session, after every game, and even off the pitch as well. It helps, it really does help, and the lads have been really fantastic so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
You can read much more from Daniel in Tuesday’s 100-page edition of The One And Only. We also have a diary from Joe Garner, interviews with John Thomas, Oshor Williams, Gary Brazil, Alan Kelly, Sean Haslegrave and much, much more.
We have more than a dozen pages on our visitors, plus some astonishing unseen photos from the collection of Club historian Ian Rigby; plus features with Jordan Hugill, Jermaine Beckford, Scott Wiseman and Andy Little.
It will be available on the night still for the fantastic value price of just £3. They will be on sale from Tuesday afternoon from the Club shop, online and in person from our sellers inside and outside of Deepdale.
Don’t forget; The One And Only is also available to download on your iPhone and iPad via the Matchday Digital app.
The Matchday Digital App allows you to view the North End programme anytime, anywhere. You can make one-off purchases or take out a season pass so you are subscribed to the whole season. If you can’t make the game, simply download the programme on the Matchday Digital app and be part of the game.
The slick digital version comes with all the content you would have in the printed programme, but with added features including:
• Programmes available to fans any time, anywhere
• Download back copies from past games
• Programmes will be made available for purchase worldwide
• Easy to use curl or slide ‘turn page’ technology
• Keyword search taking you straight to a particular player or feature
• Pinch screen feature to zoom into articles or images
• Add articles to Facebook or Twitter via the social media feature
• The Matchday Digital app is free to download on to your iPhone/iPad.
Preston North End supporters can download an individual issue at £2.99 or take out a season pass for £49.99.
Download the Matchday Digital app on your iPhone or iPad for free by going to the iTunes App store on your iPhone/iPad and search for ‘Matchday Digital’.