Brad Lyons admits it was a no-brainer to join Kilmarnock and link-up with fellow Northern Irishman Tommy Wright.
The 24-year-old midfielder admits he had a number of options in the summer, but as soon as he got the call from Killie it was his only destination.
And he says the Rugby Park boss was a huge factor in his decision to move to Ayrshire.
Speaking to the Kilmarnock Standard he said: “I can’t complain, from the start it has been brilliant.
“I was glad to join Kilmarnock, it is a massive club and since I’ve started training has been bang at it, and all the boys are great as is everyone’s attitude.
“Now we are into the games it has been a brilliant feeling, we are all just glad to get started.
“It was a no-brainer to join to be fair, when the season ended I met with some clubs, but once Kilmarnock and the gaffer came calling I was instantly interested.
“I have always liked the Scottish league, I always watch it on TV.
“I know how big a club Kilmarnock is, and I was glad to get it over the line."
On Wright he said: “I’ve never had any dealings with him directly before, but because of my Irish league connections and because he’s from back home I knew a lot about him.
“My brother is a big Irish league fan, so he knew all about him and how he works.
“Obviously he’s a big name so it wasn’t hard to find out stuff about him, but everyone had only good words to speak about him.
“From my first meeting with him I knew straight away how passionate he was about football and that his will to win is great, I’m glad to be on board."
Lyons added: “I think his experience with St Johnstone helps massively, it’s about winning and doing it each week.
“But also you look at what he did for St Johnstone, his development of players was incredible and he turned players into great players.
“That was massive for me, because I’m still at the start of my career so I am learning every day with the players here."
Lyons admits seeing fans back in Rugby Park for the Ayrshire Derby was an incredible experience, and he hopes his side can continue to impress supporters.
He said: “It was great to win, but to get to play in front of fans and see the passion they have was something else.
“The amount of noise they made just pushes you on even more.
“Football is nothing without fans in my opinion, so it was great to see and hopefully in the weeks to come there’s more and more coming and we can keep them happy."
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