Signed from Bury in January 2006, Whaley followed in the footsteps of former Shakers team mate David Nugent.

The duo had played together at youth, reserve and first team level before Nugent made the move 12 months earlier.

The 20-year-old made 85 appearances for the Shakers, since his debut in October 2002, scoring 11 goals including strikes against Leyton Orient and Wycombe earlier in the season.

Whaley signed a four-and-a-half year deal costing North End an initial fee of £250,000, which could eventually rise to £300,000.

He made his debut in the league match against Millwall on January 14^th, coming on as a second half substitute to replace Brian Stock.

He went on to make a further 17 appearances, scoring three goals, ironically all away from Deepdale in consecutive games against Coventry, Leicester and Hull.

Last season his early form had him grabbing all the headlines from his former Bury team mate David Nugent and he was heading the early scoring charts with three goals in the first six games.

He went on to bag a further three before the end of October before being forced to wait until the final game of the season to add to his tally, when he scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Birmingham.

He finished the season with seven goals in 33 starts, and remains one of Preston's most creative outlets from either flank.

In the 2007/08 season, Whaley continued to add to his growing reputation with a number of eye catching performances on both wings. He contributed some vital goals as North End climbed the league table including a memorable winner in the derby game against Burnley in December.