‘Best thing that could have happened’ - Aiden McGeady on Preston North End loan spell
He was a hugely popular player in his season at Deepdale.
Aiden McGeady has reflected on his spell at Preston North End in an interview with the Lancashire Post.
Former winger McGeady, who retired from football in 2024 aged 38, was on loan at PNE from Everton during the 2016/17 season, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists across 35 games.
He joined North End on the last day of the 2016 summer window and admitted that the move happened in a bit of a blur, but it went on to be one of the best seasons of his career.
Despite not knowing a great deal about the club beforehand, McGeady quickly settled in and went on to enjoy one of the best seasons of his career.
“To be honest, I never knew loads about Preston”, McGeady told the Lancashire Post.
“I always knew it was kind of, you could say, a sleeping giant to an extent, with the history the club’s had in the past, but for so long it had floated between Championship and League One.
“But to be honest, I joined on the last day of the window, and I was kind of running out of options, because I had a probably unsuccessful loan at Sheffield Wednesday the season before, and I just had to get playing football again.
“So, when I arrived… I mean, there’s the new training ground [Euxton], isn’t there? But the old training ground [Springfields], it was like eye-opening, compared to obviously what I’d been used to, at Everton and stuff, but it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.
“It was back to basics and back to concentrating on football and I knew that I had to have a really good season, because, like I said, my previous loan didn’t go that well, and I just loved it there.
“I just loved it. I loved playing football there. The fans were really patient as well. It was a place where you could go and express yourself, and it was great for me, because I had a manager in Simon Grayson, who was really, really good for me, in terms of just wanting me to get back to my best playing well, playing my best football.”
McGeady wanted to stay at PNE after striking a great bond with teammates and fans, but after North End’s finances meant he couldn’t re-join the club permanently, he followed Grayson to Sunderland in July 2017 and stayed there for five years, winning promotion back to the Championship as well as the EFL Trophy.
“Before I signed [for PNE] I didn’t really know many of the players, but then I loved it there. I had a really good dressing room.
“We had a really good season, and I just really enjoyed my time there. Like I spoke about before, I tried to stay, but then there was a few issues with the finances on the club’s side, in terms of trying to buy me, then Sunderland came in and Simon Grayson moved.
“But I loved it there. The family were settled. I enjoyed playing my football there. I really enjoyed the fans, they took to me as well, so it was great.”
McGeady was speaking on behalf of NewBettingSites.uk.
There’ll be more from him in the coming days, including his closest friends in that North End dressing room and two memorable goals: late on at Blackburn Rovers and on debut against Barnsley.
Click here to read about his thoughts on Robbie Keane - who has been linked with the PNE manager vacancy - and how close the Tottenham legend was to joining the club as a player.