The mini-midfielder has not only survived his first gruelling month in English football, but he has given as good as he has got, according to the Preston manager.

>> PNE derby date switched

"The one worry you might have with someone of Barry's stature is whether the Championship will blow them away," said Irvine. "But it hasn't blown him away, far from it.

"His intelligence and his understanding of the game mean he can cope with it without any problem."

Nicholson is the smallest member of Irvine's squad at just 5ft 7in tall and tipping the scales at just over nine stone.

Yet despite the physical nature of the Championship, especially amongst the gritty men in the engine room, he has already earned the respect of team-mates and opponents in his first five matches following a summer move from Aberdeen.

"We have been absolutely delighted with Barry and the way he has settled in," Irvine told the Evening Post.

"He has been terrific. He is a really clever player and he is a real goal threat too. In almost every game he has played he has either scored or very nearly scored. I couldn't be more pleased with how he has fitted in since he arrived here."

Read the rest of the article in Saturday's Lancashire Evening Post