Danny O'Brien says the Chester FC he walked into this week is a far different place to the one where he played his football last season.
The 20-year-old right winger signed on loan from Championship side Wigan Athletic earlier this week on a deal that runs until the end of the season.
O'Brien spent a period of time at Chester last season when the side were struggling in the lower reaches of the National League under former manager Steve Burr, making nine appearances and scoring one goal.
Aside from one outing in the EFL Cup early in the season, O'Brien has had to bide his time in the reserves at Wigan and, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, took the decision to get in touch with Blues boss Jon McCarthy in a bid to kick-start his career.
"Chester is a big part of my career and I feel like last year they kicked me on," said O'Brien.
"Last year I came into a club that needed results and that needed to win and it was a big learning experience. That's the why I wanted to come back."
O'Brien is keen to learn from McCarthy, a winger who enjoyed a fine career with the likes of Birmingham City and Port Vale.
And he says he can already seen the difference in the direction that the club is heading.
"The new manager has come in and he has changed the way that it works, it's run like a proper football club," he said.
"He's very, very big on tactics and he's put a massive stamp on the club.
"He helped me out massively last time, the way I was supposed to play and the way I was supposed to defend, and he always asked questions of me. That's what I want in a coach or a manager.
"I always knew he was a winger. I'm that type of winger, old fashioned who likes to get down the line and get my crosses in. One of the reasons I came back was to get that learning from someone who has been there and done it and played at a high level.
"When I came in first time round it was a struggle and now they are doing well and I'll have to fight for my place. Hopefully I will make the team better, that's the plan."
While Saturday's 3-1 loss at Dover Athletic left Chester with an uphill battle in their fight to make the National League play-offs, O'Brien is bullish about their chances of overturning the gap, which currently stands at nine points heading into the trip to high-flying Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday (3pm).
He said: "I think this year I have made a step up. I am coming to a club that is thriving and the manager isn't just happy to rest on that, he wants the play-offs and he wants the Football League, just like everyone else here.
"It's easy to sit in the reserve team at 20 years of age but I need to be playing now.
"I want to be playing every week and scoring goals for the club. Everbody here wants the play-offs and that is the aim."
