As Preston North End fans bid a likely farewell to one stalwart in Alan Browne on Monday night, one former decade long Lilywhite was considering his next step also.
There’s a few Preston players who’s contracts expire this summer and look set to leave the club for good. Of course Alan Browne is the most high profile, but Patrick Bauer, Greg Cunningham, Ched Evans and Ben Woodburn are unlikely to have extensions on the table.
Liam Millar will also see his loan deal finish after the West Bromwich Albion game on Saturday, and there are doubts whether he will want to continue playing as a wing-back for Ryan Lowe’s side.
Two years ago Paul Huntington was one of the Preston players to be released. After serving the club for 10 years, the centre-back was given one last appearance in the final game of the season at home to Middlesbrough.
The Cumbrian came close to scoring as well, but he departed the club after 306 appearances and 18 goals.
In the summer of 2022 Huntington signed a deal with his hometown club Carlisle United. Another former North Ender in Paul Simpson was the manager, and last season they led the club into League One via the play-offs.
As they prepared for their first season in League One for nine years, Carlisle signed Sean Maguire on a one-year-deal. The Irishman had left Preston last January for a short-term deal with Coventry City.
It’s been a tough campaign this time round though for The Cumbrians and an immediate return to League Two was confirmed some weeks before the season ended.
Yesterday the club announced their released and retained list and unfortunately for the two former Preston players, they will finds themselves on the lookout for a new club.
Huntington was injured for some of the season but still managed 20 games. Maguire made 32 appearances, starting 18 of those but only scored two and assisted one.
Maguire has struggled for goal contributions in the last few years, and you feel a return to Ireland may be on the cards.
As for Huntington, he is now 36 and will be considering whether he wants to continue playing. One game he would be up for would be his testimonial that was discussed by the club at the time of his departure.
Two years later and no fixture has taken place, and it would be a surprise to see anything happen now.
With little enjoyment for Preston fans over the last month, and so much frustration among the fans base, it would be nice to see Huntington don the Preston kit once more.
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