Preston North End have confirmed the arrival of a new coach with Peter Murphy replacing Paul Gallagher.
PNE hero Gallagher has decided to leave the club in favour of an expected move to Championship rivals Stoke City.
Gallagher will now reunite with Alex Neil at Stoke, and complete what has been a long-rumoured move.
North End have now moved to bring in Murphy as his replacement, confirming the move on Wednesday night.
There were also pictures of Murphy coaching at PNE’s training camp in Spain, meaning he has been in the North End setup for a few days.
Fans may wonder just how Murphy is, so here is some more information on PNE’s latest coaching addition…
Who is new PNE coach Peter Murphy?
Murphy hails from Liverpool, meaning PNE now have an all-Scouse coaching setup for the first team with Ryan Lowe and Mike Marsh already in place.
Murphy was actually in the Blackpool youth ranks as a player but moved on after being told that his parents would have to contribute to his living arrangements.
Accrington Stanley were happy to pounce and Murphy enjoyed a fruitful career under fellow Liverpudlian John Coleman.
Murphy racked up nearly 200 appearances for Accrington, bagging 18 goals and seven assists whilst mostly playing as a defensive midfielder, centre back or right back.
Wycombe Wanderers were Murphy’s next stop in 2014 and then Morecambe a year later, but he was forced to retire in 2017.
Aged just 27, Murphy was forced to hang up his boots after a freak situation.
Murphy was suffering from ‘numerous blood clots’ in his lungs and after fighting back from that, cartilage damage was found in his knee and he was forced to retire.
Murphy then decided to go into coaching, doing part-time work with boyhood club Everton and also coaching Rochdale’s Under-15’s.
Wigan Athletic came calling with a scouting role in 2017 as Paul Cook – Murphy’s former manager at Accrington – secured a reunion.
Murphy has been with Wigan ever since, holding roles as Under-18 Assistant Manager, Under-21 Manager and Development Coach.
PNE have now made their move, handing the 33-year-old a vital role on Lowe’s staff.
Murphy has previously worked under John Coleman and the aforementioned Cook, two managers Lowe is close with – and both will have surely offered positive words.
Lowe has highlighted Murphy’s ability to coach young players and set plays, believing that he can make a big impact at North End.
We can only join the rest of the North End fanbase in welcoming Murphy to PNE and hoping he enjoys a productive and long-lasting time at the club.