Derby County striker Luke Varney is still pinching himself over his amazing success at Blackpool this season.
Varney was all set for several months in Derby's reserves before he received the call from Blackpool.
He said: "I got the shock of my life. I was training at Derby and got the call at 11.20pm on a Thursday to say the club had accepted a bid from Blackpool.
"I couldn't believe it. The Premier League? I didn't think I was quite ready for that. But I came to the Hilton and decided to go for a walk to get a newspaper from the shops. Six people asked me for a light on the way down. It was such a culture shock.
"Being in the heart of it all those first few days was scary. There were hen and stag do's everywhere. I was lucky I didn't get dragged into the parties.
"It was that hectic walking past bars and clubs and everyone was trying to get me in. I can remember, too, that I was trying to get to sleep in the hotel and there were people sprinting up and down the corridor dressed as God-knows what.
"The first few games in the Premier League I was in dreamland, just looking at the players I was up against. And I can say it's been an amazing transformation for me after being at Crewe, working in a factory selling ladies clothing to where I am now playing in the Premier League and meeting royalty. I'm so lucky."
Varney feels he's lucky, too, to be at a club like Blackpool under laugh-a-minute Ian Holloway. "We trained on the beach one day and the gaffer was marking out a full-size pitch on the sand. I can remember three dogs ran on and let loose.
"The gaffer was running around scooping up all the dog stuff. It was manic."
