David Moyes Returns to Deepdale with Everton

David Moyes heads back to Deepdale on Wednesday night with Everton, but his mind is already there.

The 63-year-old walks into the Carabao Cup second-round tie not just as the current Toffees boss, but as a man returning to the club that gave him his first real shot in management – and one he still champions for others.

‘A brilliant job for me’

Moyes took his first step into the dugout at Preston North End in January 1998, replacing Gary Peters and beginning a spell that would launch his managerial career.

“It was a brilliant job for me,” he said, reflecting on that decision as he prepares to go back. “I would be recommending it to all the young coaches.

“You are better off to earning your stripes and finding a way through the leagues than being thrown in at a club where it is difficult at the start.”

That line tells you everything about how he views Preston: not as a stepping stone, but as a proving ground. A place where young managers learn the hard bits properly, away from the glare and chaos that can swallow a rookie at a bigger, troubled club.

On Wednesday at 20:00 BST, he brings Everton to the same ground where he once fought for points and promotion, this time as the experienced figure others now look to for guidance.

Tea with a legend

The memories are not just about tactics and team talks. They are steeped in the history of Preston itself, and in one name in particular.

Sir Tom Finney.

Moyes still lights up when he recalls his conversations with the Preston icon, who made 372 appearances and scored 171 goals for North End between 1946 and 1960.

“He used to come in and have a cup of tea with me on a Friday before a game in the early days,” Moyes said. “He was legendary and he still is. He was the pillar of how I see Preston.”

Those Friday chats were more than polite pleasantries. Moyes picked the brain of one of English football’s great wingers, fascinated by how Finney made defenders look foolish.

“The biggest thing I used to ask him about was him being renowned for beating players and he would say: ‘Well, they would over-cover one side and I would just take them on the other side’.”

Simple, brutal, effective. Classic Finney.

Moyes never saw him play live – “Obviously I didn't see him play, I was too young,” he admitted – but the grainy footage he has watched, combined with those quiet conversations over tea, left a mark.

“I've seen a few clips and he was a big thing for Preston.”

On Wednesday night, as Moyes steps back into Deepdale with a different badge on his chest, he does so carrying those memories, that advice, and a deep respect for the club he still urges young coaches to choose when they want to “earn their stripes”.