McLaughlin was in the same youth side as PNE's Bailey Wright
Conor McLaughlin will come up against his former housemates in the form of Bailey Wright and Jack King on Saturday afternoon.McLaughlin and Wright played together in the same Preston North End youth side when at Deepdale, and shared a house in Lytham.
The Northern Ireland international, making his first appearance back at Preston since joining the Cod Army, admits it’ll be a strange afternoon.
“I still talk to Bailey and Jack regularly, and it was strange playing against them at the start of last season, but I’m really looking forward to it.
“I haven’t spoken to them too much about this game, but I’m sure we’ll get a chance to catch up afterwards on Saturday.”
McLaughlin began his career at North End and rose through the ranks to the first team before picking up a serious injury which halted his progress somewhat.
“It’ll also be a bit strange to go back to Deepdale but it’s just another game and a chance to pick up three points.
“These are the sort of games we’ve been looking ahead to since we got promoted. MK Dons on Tuesday night was a great experience and they’re the reason why we wanted to get promoted.”
“It’s really close in the league at the moment as there’s only a few points separating a lot of teams. A couple of wins can get you up the table and that’s what we’re aiming to do.”