Wigan Athletic's new No.1 on making himself at home up north - and replacing Sam Tickle!
Joe Walsh admits the welcome he's received since joining Wigan Athletic on loan this month has bowled him over.
So much so, the 22-year-old Queens Park Rangers stopper - who hails from Kent - has an honest admission...he already prefers northerners to southerners!
Which will be music to the ears of Latics supporters looking for a new fan favourite between the sticks after No.1 Sam Tickle move to Bristol City last month.
Gary Caldwell will also be a happy man at the moment, having initially tried to take Walsh down to Exeter City on a similar season-long loan last summer.
On his first impressions of life in the north west, Walsh said: "The welcome...it means so much to me.
"I say this genuinely from my heart, it means more than another loan move.
"It's somewhere I already feel really valued...from the management to everyone at the club.
"I first had a conversation with the manager last summer, about potentially going to Exeter City...for whatever reason that didn't happen, and I stayed at QPR.
"When I heard the end of May, beginning of June, that there was a possibility of coming to Wigan, I just wanted it to be done.
"To get the opportunity of working for a manager that's wanted me for a year, to work with Kev (Miller, goalkeeping coach)...it means a lot to me.
"I'm so excited to get cracking, and it feels like I've already been here for ages, even though it's only been a couple of weeks.
"The people around...not just at the club, but also the hotel where I'm staying, and the people around the town...it's been so good!
"Northern people are just so nice - nicer than southerners! - which has been lovely, really nice.
"It's been such a great welcome, and it's helped me to settle in straight away.
"I can't wait to start playing games in the stadium, and working on partnerships with my team-mates."
Walsh is also ready to take up the challenge of replacing Tickle in the Latics side.
But is he daunted by the prospect?
"You know what, I just enjoy watching football, and it's weird but all goalies love watching other goalies to see what they're doing," he said.
"It's interesting for me to see how their careers pan out, and I think the move to the Championship would have been deserved for Sam a few years ago.
"I'm very happy for him to have earned his move now, and the challenge for me is to step into the team and prove I'm worthy of that shirt."