Paul Huntington has been telling Carlisle United fans what it feels like to be back home.
The Carlisle-born 34-year-old has become summer signing number 10 for manager Paul Simpson.
He left his home city as a youngster to join Newcastle United, just at the point of signing schoolboy forms with the Blues.
He told the club website: “Being born here and supporting the club, I suppose it does feel strange to be here.
“I’m just getting used to new surroundings and it will probably take a few weeks to sink in and get used to my new teammates.
“I was at Preston for 10 years and you start to feel like part of the furniture, so it’s different coming to a new club. I think this is what I need, a new challenge.
“I know a lot of people who follow the club, which comes with pressure, but I’ve had that all my career in different ways. I made a lot of friends at Preston so it isn’t too dissimilar, but this is my hometown club and I’m looking forward to getting fit, then getting in the team.
“It wasn’t just about location, for my last couple of years I would have gone and played wherever. It did come into it obviously, because it’s handy, but I think it will be a positive thing.
“I was always going to come back here after football, but the opportunity until this off-season has never kind of presented itself.
“I spoke to the manager about him coming back after a successful period, he turned it around last season, but he was saying he didn’t have to put himself out there and come back, but he did.
“I know football is very fickle, there will be ups and downs, but I’m hoping that once I get fit I can help the team along the way.
“It’s probably taken longer than we would have liked, but we’re done now and hopefully I can bring something to the party.
“In terms of coming here to play, I would say that I never ruled it out. The location suits, but it wasn’t the be-all and end-all.
“I’ve had, over the summer, some interest where, if I told you, you’d be laughing because it was here, there and everywhere, unexpected things pop up. It just feels the right fit.
“Having spent the summer at home with my family, I’ve got a young daughter now, I want to bring her to the games and hopefully I can do her proud.”
Huntington has made over 400 League appearances during his career from 11 games at Newcastle; 23 at Leeds and 26 at Stockport over a decade ago.
Since then he’s clocked up 77 games for Yeovil and 264 for Preston during which time he scored a dozen goals for North End.
“It’s League Two, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I guess that’s something that I’ll need to adapt to.
“As footballers you adapt to different levels. League Two wasn’t really something I was looking at, but this club was the exception, which is what I said to the manager.
“I’m from here and I live locally, so the thought of coming here got me more excited than going to a team in a higher league. I felt as though this was the right fit for me and my family.”
