With the changing of the Preston managerial guard which has seen Alex Neil replace Simon Grayson, game time at Deepdale has proved harder to come by for Daryl Horgan this season.

Hell hath no fury like a player scorned! Last season Aiden McGeady re-ignited his club career during a loan spell at Preston, finishing the season as their player of the year. That form earned him a permanent move to Sunderland in July.

At the Irish team’s hotel in Castleknock yesterday, a few of the senior players told Martin O’Neill about how much of a challenge they think Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Tbilisi is going to be — and the manager was delighted to hear of their concern.

Niall Quinn believes there is a way back for Darron Gibson at Sunderland, just so long as the player does his talking on the pitch rather than in a bar.

As he prepares for the Championship kick-off on Saturday with Preston, Sean Maguire says that Cork City turned him into the striker he is today

Since he arrived at Cork City, Kevin O’Connor has strived to live up to these goals.

John Caulfield is a passionate figure on the sidelines at Turner’s Cross but he’ll be hoping Cork City can afford him an opportunity to relax tonight, if only to give his heart a break.

Official confirmation that Kevin O’Connor has become Simon Grayson’s last signing as Preston North End manager now gives way to speculation about who the Cork City player – as well as his teammate Sean Maguire and fellow League of Ireland exports Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle – will be playing under at Deepdale next season.

It’s fair to say Alan Browne and Aiden McGeady are at different ends of the international football spectrum.

Sean Maguire has spoken of his joy at securing a move to Preston, saying the large Irish contingent already at Deepdale meant choosing to join the Championship outfit was a “no-brainer”.

Cork City manager John Caulfield has dismissed suggestions striker Seanie Maguire has had his head turned by transfer speculation as the club look to end the Premier Division’s first series of games tonight with a 100% record.

Brighton reclaimed their place at the top of the Sky Bet Championship with a 3-1 win over Birmingham.

It was a mixed weekend for the Irish contingent at Championship outfit Preston as Aiden McGeady’s sixth goal of the season rescued a 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest on an afternoon when Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle were hauled off at half-time.

The conventional picture of Irish wingers at the start of this season would have had Daryl Horgan on his way up passing Aiden McGeady on his way down.

Aiden McGeady maintained his recent fine form as Preston continued their play-off push with a 2-1 win over QPR in Saturday’s Championship clash at Deepdale.

League of Ireland fans might justifiably be relishing the sight of Daryl Horgan hitting the ground running at Preston but Martin O’Neill is probably even more gratified by the resurgent impact one of the older wingers in town is having at Deepdale.

Aiden McGeady often flatters to deceive but the winger had an afternoon to savour on Saturday, scoring twice in Preston’s 4-2 win over Brentford.

Ireland’s record goalscorer Robbie Keane won’t be joining Dubai club Al Ahli and is instead expected to sign for an English Championship club in the coming weeks.

Daryl Horgan’s first start for Preston proved a memorable one, the former Dundalk star creating the second goal and nearly scoring a third as North End beat Chris Hughton’s Brighton 2-0 in Saturday’s Championship clash at Deepdale.

Olivier Giroud scrambled a late winner as Arsenal came from behind to survive an FA Cup scare with a 2-1 win at Championship Preston.

There isn’t a seat to be got at Deepdale for today’s FA Cup tie but Preston North End’s Cork native Alan Browne feels the middle of pitch is the best possible place for him against Arsenal’s galaxy of stars.

A year that featured the glorious high of scoring Ireland’s winner against Italy in Lille ended in frustrating fashion for Robbie Brady as the Dubliner was sent off in Norwich City’s 0-0 Championship draw at Brentford on Saturday.

Preston boss Simon Grayson slammed Jermaine Beckford and Eoin Doyle for their "absolute childish behaviour" after the North End team-mates were sent off following an angry exchange with each other in the defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

Aston Villa have suspended striker Gabriel Agbonlahor after he was allegedly pictured with laughing gas canisters.

Aston Villa have suspended striker Gabriel Agbonlahor pending an investigation into off-field matters.

It was fitting that Alan Browne’s winner in Preston’s 2-1 Championship win over Huddersfield came late on. A few hours earlier the former Cork City man had been stranded on a motorway en route to Deepdale due to a puncture.

Robbie Brady looks set for a swift return to the Premier League after Steve Bruce yesterday confirmed that relegated Hull have accepted a bid from newly-promoted Norwich for the Republic of Ireland international.

Ander Herrera is not fazed by the prospect of having to compete with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin for a place in the Manchester United starting XI this season.

Cork native Alan Browne believes his Preston North End side are capable of figuring in the Championship promotion race after penning a new three-year contract with the club yesterday.

Preston 1 Man United 3

FA Cup Third Round: Preston v Manchester United: Tonight: Louis van Gaal will make signing a creative midfielder his top priority this summer.

FA Cup fourth round replays: Cambridge boss Richard Money has likened his side’s chances of FA Cup fourth-round replay success at Manchester United to winning EuroMillions, having already claimed a Las Vegas jackpot and a winning lottery ticket.

Bradford co-chairman Mark Lawn is backing his FA Cup heroes to beat either Sunderland or Fulham in the competition’s fifth round.

Paul Ince hopes that it does not take a fan getting “stabbed” to make football’s authorities take further steps to prevent crowd trouble.

Newly-promoted Newport have been handed an exciting trip to Championship side Brighton in the first round of the Capital One Cup.

Neil Warnock left Leeds tonight after failing in his bid to secure promotion in what he claimed would be his last job.

Derby 3 Huddersfield 0

Hull 2 Huddersfield 0

Huddersfield 1 Bristol City 0

Blackburn’s first game of the post-Steve Kean era finished in a 1-1 npower Championship draw at Charlton, while rock-bottom Peterborough secured their first points of the season with a 3-1 win at promotion hopefuls Hull.

Huddersfield 2 Watford 3

Ipswich 2 Huddersfield 2