MOYES' DEEPDALE RETURN

Friday 1 August 2003, 09:00

David Moyes will be sitting in the opposition dug-out at Deepdale on Saturday for the very first time since leaving Preston North End for Everton in March 2002.

Moyes cut his managerial teeth at the Lancashire club and enjoyed many successes before finding the lure of the Premiership too hard to resist and he admits that he's relishing his trip down memory lane.

"I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "They gave me the opportunity to get into management and I also enjoyed some good years as a player there.

"It was a great club to play for, I saw one or two different managers who had different styles and so it was a good education for me.

"I enjoyed my time there as a player, a coach, an assistant manager and a manager."

The Toffees' boss will be in the unfamiliar away dug-out at Deepdale tomorrow, but he insisted that he'll be treating it as just another game and he'll be determined to put the disappointment of Dundee United firmly behind him

"It won't be odd for me to go back, because I've been back before to watch several games," he said. "I know everyone there well, I know Craig Brown - the new manager.

"It won't be difficult for me to go back. It's a game of football, it's a pre-season game and hopefully we'll put on a good show there."

The Nationwide League season kicks off next Saturday, with Preston playing host to West Ham United, and Moyes suggested that his former club will therefore give his current charges a tough match.

"They'll probably be closer to the team which is going to start the season and we're a little bit further away. We're looking to get things right though and it will be a test for us."