Paul Huntington has been part of the Preston North End fabric for over six years now and has committed his long-term future to Deepdale.
The 30-year-old has signed a new three-year deal in PR1 and feels that he is signing for a club that has an upward trajectory.
“It is great to see the development of the club whilst I have been here,” he told iFollow PNE after putting pen to paper on a contract that runs until at least the summer of 2021.
“It really feels like the football club has been moving in the right direction. It is really important both on and off the pitch to keep moving forward.
“It feels like a real family club, from the feeling you get from the supporters and the tight knit squad we have – with no big egos or reputations – we all just get on with it.
“For the new players it is as good a group as you can meet; all our lads are really good characters who get along and that bodes well for the new lads coming in and it makes it easier for them to blend in and that can only benefit us as a team and as a football club.”
The No.23, who is approaching 250 appearances for the Lilywhites, is delighted to get everything sorted and feels it can be another competitive year for the team.
“I am delighted it has been done and now I can concentrate on the football,” he continued. “I have really enjoyed my first six years at this fantastic football club and I am looking to continue that – hopefully we can have another good season.
“You don’t tend to see players stay at clubs for a long time nowadays, but from the first year that I signed I felt really comfortable here and I enjoy working with my team-mates and with the manager and staff. I feel they get not only the best out of me, but out of us as a group and moving forward that is important.
“I am grateful to the manager and the club for allowing me to sign this new contract and I will be looking to repay them, as I do each and every season.
“I have no doubt that the manager, and the players he has brought in, will improve us. The manager and the staff’s knowledge of the game is second to none and the players we have brought in will make us better and improve us and that is the aim this season.
“I am really looking forward to the start of the season, getting into the first batch of games and starting as we mean to go on.”
And his relationship with the supporters also made it an easy decision for the centre half: “It is a fantastic relationship between the players and the fans here.
“It is really noticeable that when we are on top form, they really get behind us – I think we work well together.
“A club without the support that we have got is nothing and we appreciate that and it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. We work well together and long may that continue,” he added.
You can watch the full extended interview with Hunts by clicking on the video at the top of the page.