Paul Huntington and Preston North End parted ways at the end of last season and a memorable decade.
Although Huntington was a key figure for the majority of his time at the club, his playing time had dwindled in the last couple of years.
He has now signed a deal with his hometown club Carlisle United, who play in League Two.
It’s a signing that hasn’t come as too much of a shock, with Huntington moving back to his roots in an emotional switch back home, and the 34-year-old will be a valuable asset at that level.
Huntington will link up with another ex-North Ender, as Carlisle are managed by Paul Simpson. The former Preston manager took over last season and helped secure Football League safety for them.
They’ve got four points from their first two games of the season, and Simpson is delighted he has finally been able to get his man.
Speaking to the official club website he suggested it has been a transfer that has been in the pipeline for a while.
“I wanted him to be my first signing, if I’m going to be really honest, but I’ve had to be patient. I’ve bided my time and thankfully that’s paid off for us.”
“I’m going to give the credit to Paul for getting this one going again because he came to our game against Crawley and, after that, he got back in touch to let us know that he’d loved the atmosphere the fans were creating and he’d liked the way we were playing.”
Without any pre-season training under his belt, it could take a few more weeks before the Cumbrian Cannavaro makes his debut for Carlisle but he will provide invaluable experience for them.
There was hope that Hunts would have a testimonial at Deepdale to commemorate his time at the club, but as of yet nothing has happened. It seems unlikely it would happen now he has a contract elsewhere.
He made his final appearance for the club in the last game of the season at home to Middlesbrough, and in an emotional farewell with his family present he was recognised by the club and given a standing ovation by the fans.
It will be weird seeing Huntington in a different shirt after over 300 games for The Lilywhites, but this move makes sense for all parties, and North End fans will be wishing Paul the very best for this season.