Daryl Horgan officially became a PNE player on 1st January. Whilst he would have been eligible for a debut at Burton Albion, flu struck him down during his first few days across the Irish Sea.
That meant that his first opportunity to pull on the famous No.7 shirt of the Lancashire version of the Lilywhites would come against Arsenal, in front of a sell-out Deepdale and a watching worldwide TV audience.
If that wasn’t enough, his first start and first EFL Championship game saw him given his full debut against table-toppers and promotion favourites Brighton & Hove Albion and he played his part with an assist as his new team were comfortable 2-0 winners, ending the Seagulls’ 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
So, a whirlwind start for the Galway-born winger is the only way to describe his first few weeks as a PNE player.
“I probably wasn’t expecting to come straight in and be involved, but coming over the aim was to come in and play right from the off,” he told The One And Only matchday programme. “I have only played two games and I will have to work very, very hard to try and maintain my place, but I am hoping now that I have done enough to try and stake a claim for a place.
“I like to think I have done okay in the couple of games I have been involved in and I might be in the manager’s thoughts for the future.
“When I came to being in the starting XI for the Brighton game I was excited, but also shocked. I was a little bit nervous, but I was thrilled as well and really looking forward to the game. It was a great opportunity for me and as a team we played really well and thoroughly deserved the 2-0 win.
“I am always a bit nervous before games, but I think it is good to be.
“You are trying to fit into a different system, a different way of playing and a different league and maybe at times a different style of football to comprehend, but at the end of the day it is just 11 versus 11 and it is a game of football and you have to do what you always do, which is try your best and thankfully we won the game, played very well in my first start, we thoroughly deserved the win and we were excellent.
“The group have been brilliant. The lads have been excellent and everyone in the club has been fantastic and made it really easy for the transition of coming over, getting everything sorted, which has been brilliant and I have really enjoyed my time so far.
“It has been different as well; the gear all being laid out for you in the mornings, things like that, but it is something I am grasping very quickly and I am really enjoying the opportunity to be in full-time football, especially at a big club like Preston, where you are not going to get this sort of opportunity every day, so I want to grasp it with two hands.”
There is a lot more from the Irishman, plus a host of other green-tinged interviews, as we speak to Alan Browne, Greg Cunningham, Andy Boyle, Eoin Doyle and Aiden McGeady for this weekend’s 100-page edition of The One And Only.
There’s also all our regular features and plenty on our opponents and the programme will be on sale from Friday afternoon from the Sir Tom Finney Stand ticket office or from sellers inside and outside the ground on matchday.
If that wasn’t enough, his first start and first EFL Championship game saw him given his full debut against table-toppers and promotion favourites Brighton & Hove Albion and he played his part with an assist as his new team were comfortable 2-0 winners, ending the Seagulls’ 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
So, a whirlwind start for the Galway-born winger is the only way to describe his first few weeks as a PNE player.
“I probably wasn’t expecting to come straight in and be involved, but coming over the aim was to come in and play right from the off,” he told The One And Only matchday programme. “I have only played two games and I will have to work very, very hard to try and maintain my place, but I am hoping now that I have done enough to try and stake a claim for a place.
“I like to think I have done okay in the couple of games I have been involved in and I might be in the manager’s thoughts for the future.
“When I came to being in the starting XI for the Brighton game I was excited, but also shocked. I was a little bit nervous, but I was thrilled as well and really looking forward to the game. It was a great opportunity for me and as a team we played really well and thoroughly deserved the 2-0 win.
“I am always a bit nervous before games, but I think it is good to be.
“You are trying to fit into a different system, a different way of playing and a different league and maybe at times a different style of football to comprehend, but at the end of the day it is just 11 versus 11 and it is a game of football and you have to do what you always do, which is try your best and thankfully we won the game, played very well in my first start, we thoroughly deserved the win and we were excellent.
“The group have been brilliant. The lads have been excellent and everyone in the club has been fantastic and made it really easy for the transition of coming over, getting everything sorted, which has been brilliant and I have really enjoyed my time so far.
“It has been different as well; the gear all being laid out for you in the mornings, things like that, but it is something I am grasping very quickly and I am really enjoying the opportunity to be in full-time football, especially at a big club like Preston, where you are not going to get this sort of opportunity every day, so I want to grasp it with two hands.”
There is a lot more from the Irishman, plus a host of other green-tinged interviews, as we speak to Alan Browne, Greg Cunningham, Andy Boyle, Eoin Doyle and Aiden McGeady for this weekend’s 100-page edition of The One And Only.
There’s also all our regular features and plenty on our opponents and the programme will be on sale from Friday afternoon from the Sir Tom Finney Stand ticket office or from sellers inside and outside the ground on matchday.