Midfield man Paul Gallagher got his smile fixed to celebrate new deal with Preston

Paul Gallagher would loved to have cracked a big smile to celebrate signing his new contract with Preston but an hour in the dentist’s chair put paid to that.
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The 35-year-old midfielder set the ball rolling on this summer’s contract renewals at Deepdale by penning a 12-month deal yesterday.

Once the ink was dry on the paperwork and the first day of pre-season training was done, it was off to the dentist to have a cracked tooth seen to.

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“I got elbowed in the mouth in the first game back after the restart at Luton,” Gallagher told the Lancashire Post.

Preston North End's Paul GallagherPreston North End's Paul Gallagher
Preston North End's Paul Gallagher

“There was a crack right the way down the tooth which I’d put up with.

“Then on Wednesday part of the tooth came away which made me look like Nanny McPhee!

“When I signed the contract yesterday they were telling me to smile for the camera but it was difficult looking like I did.

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“After training I got in at the dentist to get it fixed and hopefully it’s sorted now.”

Gallagher getting signed up was a matter of urgency in that he was out of contract.

Much of the focus has been on the large group of Preston players now in the final year of their deals.

With pre-season training getting underway, something needed sorting.

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Gallagher said: “I’m really pleased to get it sorted, I love this club and I’ve been here for quite a while now.

“With everything that is going on in the world at the moment sometimes you have to be patient and wait for things to happen.

“Last season I played 33 games, scored six goals and had however number of assists it was, so I was making a big contribution.

“So I was always confident that I’d get an offer here.

“I was in contact with the manager who told me to be patient.

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“It’s been a quick turnabout too, only three weeks since the last game.

“Any player out of contract would tell you that they wanted something sorted before pre-season started.

“I can now focus on the next few weeks and get ready for the new season.

“A big factor for me is that I have played 297 games for Preston now and I want to join the 300 club.

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“If that happens, it would be a massive moment and one to make me very proud.

“I want to play in front of the fans again, they’ve seen the vast majority of my games here and having to play behind closed doors at the end of last season was strange.

“We have to start off like that again but hopefully they will back in the ground quite soon. I want to be able to show my appreciation to the fans by playing in front of them and doing well on the pitch.”