Preston North End have allowed Young striker Chris McGrail to join league 2 outfit Accrington Stanley on a months loan.

Youngster McGrail recently appeared on the bench for Preston in the recent league trip to Sunderland and looks to have a bright future at Deepdale but with the signing of Ricketts and the imenant debut of Neil Mellor on the cards his chances of breaking into the Preston side look very slim so manager Simpson has allowed the young lad to go out onloan and gets some first team action.

Billy Barr described this afternoon's match as the 'ideal workout' as North End ran out 1-0 winners over Carlisle.

Neil Mellor was on target again, converting from the spot, to give the second string a well deserved win and the performance of the striker was one of many positives to take from the match.

Mellor along with new signing Michael Ricketts played an hour of the match at Brunton Park, while the like of Simon Whaley, Danny Dichio and Jason Jarrett all got a full 90 under their belt for the first time in a while.

There was some good news at the back as Sean St Ledger got through the match after missing the last two games with an ankle problem.

Barr was pleased to see his side make up for the 2-0 defeat up there earlier in the season:

"It was a good game to watch and just what the players needed.

"Some of the players were desperate for a game and this one was ideal, it was a high tempo and there were a lot of positives to take, right across the pitch, from Andy Lonergan who made an excellent save in the first half, to the front two who looked sharp and dangerous throughout."

taken from PNE.com

Preston manager Paul Simpson is taking a close look at two unnamed players on trial at the club.

The pair, thought to be a defender and midfielder, will spend several days training with the club before Simpson makes a decision on their future.

Both players featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Carlisle on Tuesday, The Lilywhites winning the game 1-0.

They will also be involved in a reserve team fixture against Tranmere next week.

Simpson is unwilling to reveal their identities at the moment, but has been pleased with what he has seen from the pair so far.

"Both lads look very promising. Both players had only just arrived and they had done a fair bit of travelling. But I was still encouraged by what I saw," Simpson told the Lancashire Evening Post.

"It's still very early and at the moment I would prefer not to say who they are or where they are from.

"But hopefully we will all get another chance to have a look at them next week."

Striker Neil Mellor scored the only goal from the penalty spot against Carlisle as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.

Preston North End fc today announced the agreement with PCT (Preston Primary care trust) over the construction of the fourth stand and Deepdale and finally finish off the stadium along with a walk in health center.

David Nugent insists he is not being distracted by constant speculation linking him with a move away from Preston.

Nugent's future at Deepdale has been the subject of intense rumours for the last few months with a number of top clubs keeping tabs on the striker.

Sheffield United were priced out of a move for the England Under 21 international with Preston determined to keep hold of their prized asset.

Nugent insists he is not worried about the speculation and is only concentrating on helping Preston secure promotion to the Premiership.

"The main objective is scoring goals for Preston and helping them get into the Premiership through automatic promotion," said Nugent.

"I don't get distracted by the speculation.

"I'm a Preston player, the chairman says I'm not going anywhere so I stand by his word and hopefully I can concentrate on playing for Preston.

Preston North End have reportedly made a move for Gambian midfielder Seyfo Soley.

The 26-year-old currently plies his trade in Belgium with Jupiler League leaders Racing Genk, and according to reports in Belgium, Soley has reached an agreement with The Lilywhites.

Both clubs, however, have yet to concur on terms to bring the African talent to Deepdale this month, with Preston boss Paul Simpson already suggesting that he has been 'priced out a deal' for a player in Belgium.

The versatile Soley, who is also comfortable playing in defence, is under contract to Genk until the end of the current season, and it remains to be seen if both clubs will complete a deal before next Wednesday's deadline.

One player that Simpson is interested in signing is an unnamed American midfielder who had a recent trial with the Lancashire club.

"He had to leave the country because the paperwork from the U.S. FA wasn't correct," Simpson told Preston's official website.

"He's had to leave the country to get the paperwork done properly. We are hoping he'll be back.

"He has no contract anywhere. He has just come out of college and he's a very good footballer.

"I don't want anyone knowing who he is because we risk missing out on a really good footballer and I want to make sure that we give ourselves the best chance of getting him."

Preston North End have completed the signing of former Sparta Prague defender Pavel Pergl on a deal until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old can play in a variety of roles including central defence, right back and also as a defensive midfielder. The player impressed North End boss Paul Simpson following a successful trial period with Preston and comes with extensive Champions League experience as well as playing for one of the Czech Republic's top teams.

The Lilywhites are still awaiting international clearance on the deal but the player could be available for selection for this Saturday's trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

Courtesy of pne.com

Preston North End striker Andy Smith has left the Club after having his contract cancelled by mutual consent.

The former Northern Ireland international made just three league starts for the Lilywhites since being signed by Craig Brown in the summer of 2004. He had subsequent spells on loan at Stockport, Motherwell and Cheltenham but failed to score a league goal.

Preston North End have completed the signing of Republic of Ireland international keeper Wayne Henderson from Brighton on a three-and-a-half year deal.

North End have paid £150,000 for the services of the 23-year-old, a fee which could rise to £200,000 dependent on appearances.

Henderson started his career at Roy Keane's former club, Cherry Orchard, but signed for Aston Villa as a 17-year-old and after spending several years in the youth ranks at Villa Park and loan spells at Wycombe and Notts County he signed for Brighton in January of last year.

Regular first team football at the Withdean Stadium got him noticed by the Irish selectors and he has since been rewarded with an Irish cap when he was selected to play against the Czech Republic earlier this season.

Henderson is included in the Republic of Ireland squad to face San Marino next week.

Courtesy of pne.com

North End have completed their second capture of transfer deadline day after signing up Gambian national captain Seyfo Soley on a deal until the end of the season.

The player arrives at Deepdale from current Belgian league leaders Genk where he had turned down the offer of a new contract to try his luck in English football.

The powerhouse defender/defensive midfielder impressed North End boss Paul Simpson in a behind closed door friendly against Carlisle at the start of January but the deal looked to have died after the Belgian club priced the player out of a move. But as the transfer deadline approached the two clubs have agreed an undisclosed fee, the 26-year-old does not require a work permit as he has a European passport.

Seyfo has been recently appointed captain of his home nation and he is expected to lead his side out against Luxembourg on international duty next week.

Not bad, and you kept hold of Carlo Nash aswell Steve0.

u've been busy in the old transfer market Ste m8

Yeah it's good to get these boys in and make the squad stronger for the final push for promotion.

It was fantastic to keep Nugent aswell he is in a rich vien of form at the moment and losing him would have been a big miss.

As for Nash he has blown it with us now he will leave at the end of the season thats for sure he has showed the club a compleat lack of respect.

Yea im quite shocked how he has treated the club, manager and fans!

Jason Jarrett has joined Leicester City on an initial month's loan from Preston North End.

The midfielder has been told he is not part of Paul Simpson's immediate plans at Preston and has not featured for the promotion chasers since early September.

He made three appearances on loan at Hull City in November and will now spend a month at The Walkers Stadium.

Leicester boss Rob Kelly feels Jarrett will be a useful recruit to his squad and could extend the player's stay at the club.

"We've taken Jason for an initial one-month loan period with a view to an extension and I am delighted to get him," Kelly told the club's official website.

"He is a player who I know quite a lot about as I watched him play a number of times for Wigan when I was at Blackburn.

"He's been promoted out of the division and knows what it takes to be successful in the Championship.

"I am sure he will be a really good addition to us. He's the type of box-to-box modern midfield player which we need."

Paul Simpson has been handed a boost ahead of this weekend's visit of Wolves with the news that new signing Pavel Pergl has finally been granted international clearance and is available for selection.

The Czech defender completed his move to North End just over a week ago but has been forced was watch on from the sidelines while Preston overcame the red tape but now he will be hoping to force his way into the side.

Paul Simpson was understandably delighted when he heard the news:

"It has been a frustrating wait but we are really pleased to finally have him available for selection.

"We had hoped to have him in the squad for last weekend's trip to Sheffield Wednesday but these things often take longer than you expect but at least it is all sorted now.

"It was disappointing that we couldn't see him in action for the reserves last night because he obviously still needs games but he will come into the reckoning for the weekend's visit of Wolves."

Courtesy of pne.com

Goalkeeper Chris Neal has signed a new three-year contract, which will keep him at Deepdale until 2010.

The 21-year-old is now back in full training following a knee injury and could be set for a spell out on loan to get some games under his belt.

Neal has so far made just the one appearance for North End, replacing the injured Gavin Ward in the 1-1 draw with Ipswich in February 2005 but he has spent spells on loan at both Tamworth and Shrewsbury.

It has been a good morning so far for North End who also received clearance for defender Pavel Pergl and Simpson was thrilled to see Neal sign on the dotted line:

"It is something we have been working on for a while now, Chris is a very promising young goalkeeper and it was important that we got everything sorted because he was out of contract in the summer and we were desperate to keep him.

"The important thing now he is back fit is to get him some games because that is what he needs. We have had a few clubs enquire about him but we wanted to make sure the knee was ok, we know now that he is fully fit and we will be looking to sort a loan move out for him over the next couple of weeks."

Courtesy of pne.com

Wigan sign Preston's Nash on loan

Wigan have signed Preston goalkeeper Carlo Nash on a month's emergency loan following injuries to Chris Kirkland and Mike Pollitt.
The 33-year-old has fallen out of favour at Deepdale after a proposed move to Fulham last month collapsed before the transfer deadline.

Boss Paul Jewell told the club website: "Carlo is the right player to come in and play a role in the circumstances.

"I have no doubt about his ability to move back up to the Premiership."

England keeper Kirkland is sidelined for six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a thumb ligament damaged in training, while back-up Pollitt also sidelined with a thigh strain.

Jewell was given permission to bring in short-term cover for third-choice keeper John Filan.

The experienced Nash, who has played for Stockport, Wolves, Manchester City and Middlesbrough, goes straight into the squad to face Watford on Wednesday.

He said: "It's great to have a chance of playing in the Premiership again.

"I realise I'll have to fight for my place with John Filan, who is a great keeper with a lot of experience, but I hope I can help the team for the next month, or however long the agreement lasts."

Steve0 will be glad to see the back of Nash.

As will the majority of Preston fans will no doubt!

All apart from Steve0's girlfriend.

She fond of him then?

She loves him, I even think she'd leave Steve0 for The Nash

Lol 'The Nash'

me thinks you lot are a bit - well - 'obsessed' with Preston

You could have a decent club like Colchester!