 He played twice on loan to Doncaster Rovers in January 1978 and struggling to make an impact at Derby, moved to NASL side Tulsa Roughnecks where he played in every game in his first NASL season.He returned to England in October 1978, joining Preston North End managed by Nobby Styles for a fee of £40,000 with a clause that meant he returned to Tulsa for the following US season on loan and at the end of that season he was voted Player of the Year by the Roughneck fans.He made 158 league appearances for Preston – being their fans voted him Player of the Year in 1981/82.