New Preston North End manager Graham Alexander has spoken of the emotional significance of returning to Deepdale, a club where he spent two spells as a player and made 372 league appearances.
The 54-year-old was appointed on Monday after leaving League One leaders Bradford City, stepping in to replace Paul Heckingbottom at a struggling Preston side currently second from bottom in the Championship following six defeats in their opening eight league matches.
Alexander, who ended his playing career at Preston in 2011-12 at the age of 40 and briefly served as caretaker manager during that same season, admitted the move still had not fully sunk in when he first arrived back at the club.
"Yesterday was a bit surreal - it didn't feel real until I had the training kit on," Alexander told BBC Radio Lancashire. "When I got home last night, me and my wife had a bit of a moment about the journey we've had to get to this point."
After hanging up his boots, Alexander chose not to join Preston's academy coaching setup, instead building his managerial career elsewhere. He has since taken charge of Fleetwood Town, Scunthorpe United, Salford City, Motherwell and MK Dons before his latest switch from Bradford City.
Despite the winding path his coaching journey has taken - including a stint in Scotland with Motherwell - Alexander made clear that Preston remains a place close to his heart, both professionally and personally.
"It does, yeah, it does," he said, when asked whether the town still felt like home.
He went on to reflect on the family sacrifices made throughout his career, particularly the decision to relocate to Scotland when he took the Motherwell job. "When I took the Motherwell job it was a big decision from my wife and myself to move to Scotland because we'd been so happy in Preston for 20 years but our kids were moving on," Alexander explained.
When the time came to move back to England, Alexander said he wanted his wife to have the final say on where they would settle, given how often she had supported his career moves over the years. "When we decided to move back to England, I gave my wife the choice of where she wanted to live because she'd been following me around for so long," he said.
He added that the options ultimately came down to two places with strong personal ties: "The natural one was either the West Midlands, where we're both from and our families are from, or Preston and the north west area because of our relationships and how we felt here - and she chose to come back here, which I was hoping she would say."
Reflecting on the couple's long history in the area, Alexander summed up what the town and the club mean to his family. "It's been a special place for us," he said.
Alexander now faces an immediate challenge in turning around Preston's fortunes, with the club sitting just above the relegation zone after a difficult start to the Championship season. His experience of guiding Bradford City to the top of League One will offer some reassurance to supporters hoping he can replicate that form at a higher level, even as he embraces what he describes as a deeply personal homecoming.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.