EXCLUSIVE, by Tony Dewhurst

DAVID Eyres has linked up with red rose rivals Preston North End in a deal worth £80,000.

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph can exclusively reveal that the Burnley captain thrashed out personal terms with Preston manager Gary Peters following a two-hour meeting inside Deepdale's Tom Finney Stand last night.

Now I expect the deal to be rubber-stamped when Eyres undergoes a medical later today to become the third Burnley player to sign for Preston in the last six months.

And Eyres revealed the driving ambition of Burnley's neighbours convinced the Turf Moor fans' favourite to put pen to paper on a two-and-a half-year deal.

Eyres said: "Gary Peters sold the ambition of Preston North End to me and that is why I've decided to join Preston.

"Preston have offered me security for my football life and a contract that Burnley couldn't have matched.

"I made my mind up straight away when the gaffer (Waddle) pulled me in after training yesterday and said Preston were interested.

"He said he wouldn't stand in my way and that made my mind up really. It meant that Burnley were willing to sell me.

"To be honest if somebody had told me that I'd be going to Preston on an improved contract at 33 I'd have thought they were joking.

"I certainly don't see it is a downward step. Quite the opposite in fact, because I think Burnley and Preston are on the same level support and potential wise.

"The ambition at Preston is unbelievable and it is a very go-ahead club. The money they've spent on the stadium and players convinced me it was a club worth signing for. "I don't know how Burnley fans are going to react to this, especially after Kurt Nogan and Gary Parkinson went to Preston.

"I know from quite a few of my friends that they will not be too pleased."

Peters has tracked Eyres for months and tried to sign him the week he joined Burnley from Blackpool in July 1993 - when the North End manager was at Cambridge.

And Peters has promised Eyres he will deployed in his favoured wing-back role.

Eyres added: "It is a bit of a dream move really because I will be playing left-wing back for Preston.

"Playing at wing-back is my best position and it means I will be linking up with Parky again.

"To be honest I wasn't particularly happy playing on the left side of midfield this season for Burnley.

"But I got on with the job because I didn't want to rock the boat.

"To be given the captaincy by Chris Waddle was the biggest honour of my football career.

"I thought things would get even better from there, but then the system and the personnel changed and that didn't seem to do me any favours.

"I felt happy with my performances last season, and I think I played my best football of my career at wing-back, but it just doesn't seem to have happened for the club this time." The deal represents sound business for the Clarets after Eyres arrived at Turf Moor from Blackpool for £90,000 four seasons ago.

Eyres added: "I can understand the position from Burnley's point of view because they've only lost £10,000 on the money they paid Blackpool and they've had four seasons out of me.

"I will be leaving Burnley with a lot of great memories because Burnley is a fantastic club.

"I've still got my framed Wembley jersey hung at the bottom of the stairs from we beat Stockport to get back to the First Division in 1994.

"That jersey will always have pride of place in my home, even though I have joined Preston.

"I'd just like to thank the Burnley fans for giving me such great support over the past four years.

"They were always brilliant with me and I just hope they will welcome me when we meet again and not give me the sort of stick Blackpool fans have always given me when I've played against them.

"It was a tough decision to leave Burnley but I had to think of the security of my wife and child."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.