His father's career may still be overshadowing his own somewhat but Brian Barry-Murphy looked happy with his lot as he relaxed between training sessions at the Irish team hotel near Valletta yesterday.

With Ian Evans expected to make changes in the wake of last Friday's terrible 5-1 defeat and Richard Dunne and Stephen McPhail having returned home due to suspension and injury respectively, the 21-yearold is hopeful of getting another chance in a green jersey, anxious to maintain the momentum he has been building up during the first few weeks of the season.

Since leaving Cork City behind for Preston during the summer, Barry Murphy has been making quite an impression at Deepdale. So far his first team opportunities have been limited to half an hour at the end of a league cup match that had already been won but three goals in four reserve team starts have earned him praise from manager David Moyes and the rest of the club's coaching staff.

An assessment of his prospects at the club, has prompted him to concentrate his efforts on playing mainly in midfield rather than defence and the goals are being taken as an early sign that was the right decision.

More than anything, though, the Corkman is enjoying life as a fulltime footballer, training full-time and getting the help he wants to develop his game at what is a crucial stage of his career.

"To be honest," he says, "I haven't worked much since I left school, I was just trying to concentrate on my football and hoping to get a chance to prove myself. I've got the chance, I'm training twice a day most days and playing matches most of the others, it's so hectic that I've barely seen anything of Preston bar the club's training ground and the house where I live."

The house is shared by eight of the club's other players as well as the two owners but the Irishman is happy with the arrangement and isn't that keen to move out by himself. For the moment he is signed only until next summer and so the priority is to impress Moyes sufficiently to get another, longer deal.

"It means there's a little bit of pressure to perform and that's not such a bad thing. I took the one year deal because I thought over that time I could win them over.

"I was desperate to make the move and I thought I was lucky enough to get the offer this time because they spotted me playing for the under-21s in that tournament in Scotland at the end of last season and then they watched me playing in the Super Cup.

"The couple of trials I had at Manchester United and Celtic didn't go so well, I don't seem to do so well in them, so the chance to prove myself over a longer period suited me well enough."

It's still a little early, he insists, to gauge the difference in standards between Preston and Cork City.

His lack of first team experience means that so far he can only compare the training set up which, given that Preston is full-time and Dave Barry's side have had a few problems with facilities over the past few years, may not be entirely fair.

"I thought everything at Cork was very well done, though, and it prepared me to the stage where I think I've been able to cope with the transition very comfortably."

"I think what's important too is that I got the chance to play first team football at City.

"A few years ago I think it would have been harder for the likes of Greg O'Halloran, Derek Coughlan and myself to break into the team but now, right through the league, clubs are looking to bring young lads through."

"I came through the youth system at City under Gerry Harris and, gradually that sort of thing is going to have an effect. For one thing, the league is going to get better but I think it's also going to mean that more English clubs are going to be looking at National League teams in terms of looking to buy their best players."