One former Preston North End player had a Saturday to remember, over in the Netherlands. Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar destroyed Heerenveen 9-1 at home, with ex-PNE loan man Troy Parrott scoring, not one, not two, not three, but four goals. The Republic of Ireland international left Tottenham Hotspur permanently in the summer, for a fee reportedly in the region of £6million.
Parrott spent the 2023/24 campaign at Excelsior Rotterdam, on loan. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Lancashire Evening Post, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. And, a move back to the Netherlands materialised in July.
Parrott did not score in the first four matches of the season, with three wins and one draw picked up. But, the 22-year-old got himself up and running at the AFAS Stadion last weekend. He fired AZ back into the lead in the first half, and had goals two, three and four, just 11 minutes after the restart.
Parrott was serenaded by the fans post-match. After the game, he told ESPN: “Obviously, for me as a striker, it's disappointing not to score in the previous games because I always want to score goals. But I don't stress over these things, it's normal, this is football you can't play every game perfect.
“I understand this and I believe in my own ability. I believe the team that we've got here is a really good team and we will create chances - an.