ANDY PREECE was enjoying the London high-life as a top-flight footballer when Boyzone were making it big on the music scene.

The Irish boy band were moving up the charts with Love Me For A Reason when Preece - the former van driver turned Wrexham striker - was teaming up with another ex-Reds frontman, Chris Armstrong, at Crystal Palace.

Preece is adamant that he and Armstrong never picked up the karaoke microphone to blast out Boyzone numbers but admits he may have to do a bit of homework on the band’s hit-singles’ list after Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy, Ronan Keating and ex-Westlife star Brian McFadden revealed their interest in becoming shareholders at National League North outfit, Chorley, where 56-year-old Preece is now manager.

Chorley went viral during an FA Cup run three years after singing Adele’s hit ‘Someone Like You’, so could there be a new song on the dressing room sound system?

“We’re going to have a look through all the songs because obviously the ones we really know are probably more lovey songs, but we did the Adele song,” said Preece “We’ll see if we can sort one out. But all those things are exciting to talk about.”

Preece, who switched his van-driving job in Evesham to sign for Brian Flynn’s Wrexham in 1990, has always kept a close watch on what happens at the club who first gave him a chance in professional football.

And that exciting interest is now global following the glamorous takeover by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

“I’ve watched the Wrexham documentary and I think it’s brilliant,” said Preece. “How can you not like those guys?

“People will always have a go at people - especially in football - but you can’t say anything negative about Wrexham’s owners.

“There’s obviously going to be jealousy but there are now a lot more people following what’s going on at Wrexham.

“I know it’s early days here but you’d like to think we can go on the same journey. You couldn’t ask for a better template than Wrexham’s.

“You see the Wrexham thing and you go, ‘Oh wow, what would that be like?’ But I didn’t really think it was going to happen here.

“It’s exciting, I’m buzzing about it, everybody’s buzzing about it and we’ll just see where it takes us.”

Chorley are starting from a lower base than Wrexham, with the club currently sitting eighth in National League North, but it’s not a long time ago that Wrexham versus Chorley was the Boxing Day/New Year’s Day crowd-puller.

Two JJ Hooper goals and one from Omari Patrick gave Wrexham a 3-1 win in front of a 4,784 Racecourse crowd on December 26. Five days later Patrick and Devonte Redmond scored in a 2-0 Reds’ win where 820 Reds fans made the trip.

Wrexham have since regained their Football League status while Chorley have slipped down a league and are now battling it out with the likes of Chester and Scarborough for a place in the play-offs.

It was a 1-0 home win against Scarborough that first brought Shane Lynch to Victory Park.

“He must have enjoyed it because he came to the next home game,” added Preece, who welcomed the bumper crowd of more than 2,000 that turned out for their 3-1 FA Trophy defeat to Solihull Moors on Saturday.

Preece hopes the excitement generated this week can be maintained, saying: “Hopefully this is a sign of things going forward.

“With the Boyzone and Westlife boys coming in, obviously it’s given a renewed interest in the town and that’s massive for us.

“I’ve been here six years and it’s been tough, and we fight and fight every year just to keep things running and keep going, try and keep success on the field.

“We are having success, we’ve done unbelievably well with the resources we’ve had and now, hopefully, with them coming in and the interest it brings, we’ll be able to bring in more investment, and not just into the football club but into the town and into the community.”

Comparisons have inevitably been made with Wrexham, whose ‘Welcome To Wrexham’ documentary has attracted worldwide attention and seen the club climb up the leagues.

Westlife star McFadden, who was at Saturday’s game, said: “What the boys have done at Wrexham is incredible but Wrexham’s the same. Wrexham’s always had a huge support, great stadium, great town. All it needed was a bit of extra love and care to help them do what they’re doing.

“We’re hoping we can do the same with Chorley. Look at this, this is non-league football and you’ve got a couple of thousand people out here having a great time, supporting the team. If we can help those supporters reach a higher dream and we can be a part of it, it’d be great.

“We’d love to see Chorley playing in the professional leagues, obviously. If we can get out of National League North there’s National League and then in a few years, a bit of investment, bit of development, you never know.

“Maybe they get out of National League and into League Two and see what happens from there.”