But as he waits patiently – and probably sometimes impatiently – for things to fall into place, Irvine can at least reflect with some satisfaction at the promise being shown by his single close-season capture.

He snapped Barry Nicholson up on a Bosman from Aberdeen, the Scotland international keen to try his hand in the English game.

And the 29-year-old's early performances suggest Irvine has found a good one, a real addition to the midfield.

Nicholson caught the eye in last night's friendly with Everton which David Moyes' side won thanks to an early goal as North End switched off at a corner.

Playing tucked in on the right side of midfield, he linked up play extremely well and was behind a lot of the hosts' best attacking play.

Unfortunately, Irvine's men lacked a cutting edge in front of him, none of the four strikers on show looking particularly menacing.

Press the play button above to hear Alan Irvine talk about Barry Nicholson.

So however neat and tidy the build-up play was, more often than not it was Everton centre-backs Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka coming out on top against Chris Brown and Brett Ormerod, and later Neil Mellor and Karl Hawley.

Sharpness up front is an area Irvine intends addressing as the big kick-off gets nearer, one he acknowledges needs working on.

But concentrating on the positives of last night's game, played in front of a healthy 10,322 crowd, it was Nicholson's performance which delighted the PNE boss.

Irvine said: "Barry is a good footballer, very intelligent and technical, and I think the fans will be pleased with him.

"He is a hard-working lad who is desperate to do well here, and is going to add something to our squad, there is no doubt about that.

"You will have seen last night that Barry is not a right-wing type of midfield player.

"If you look at the top teams they have players who play in little areas where it's hard for the other team to deal with them.

"Barry can get the ball into areas where it is hard for the opposition to touch him."

More match reaction:
>> Hear more from Alan Irvine in our PNE v Everton podcast special.
>> Irvine hails fantastic Everton fans
>> Irvine hopes to sharpen up attack
>> Match report: PNE 0 Everton 1