as Leeds lost 2–1 at Gillingham in the Championship. He went on to score both of United's goals in a 2–2 draw at Crewe Alexandra on 18 September. He held down the left midfield position in a 4–4–2 formation for the first half of the 2004–05 season, before being switched to left-back after an injury to Stephen Crainey. However Pugh fell out of favour at Leeds after Blackwell's decision to switch to a 4–3–3 formation and he featured just 15 times in the 2005–06 campaign. Preston North End Pugh was sold to Championship rivals Preston North End in June 2006 for a fee of £250,000, becoming Paul Simpson's first signing as manager at Deepdale. He scored four goals in 49 games in the 2006–07 season, mainly playing tucked in off the left flank or occasionally as an out-and-out central midfielder. Stoke City On 2 November 2007, Pugh joined Stoke City initially on loan with a view to a permanent move in January; manager Tony Pulis was "delighted to have signed a quality left-sided midfielder". The move was made permanent on 3 January, with Stoke paying Preston £500,000 for Pugh's services. He played 32 games for Stoke in the 2007–08 season as the club secured promotion to the Premier League by finishing second in the Championship. However, he struggled to establish himself in the first team during the 2008–09 season, featuring in just 17 Premier League games. He did though score his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United in a League Cup match at the Britannia Stadium on 11 November. He signed a one-year contract extension in October 2009. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–1 home defeat to Arsenal on 27 February; however he also gave away a penalty in the match. After struggling for first team appearances at Stoke, Pugh returned to his old club Preston North End on a one-month loan on 17 November 2010, along with fellow Stoke teammate Michael Tonge. The loan was extended into a second month, though he was recalled from his loan spell on 31 December by Pulis after Preston sacked manager Darren Ferguson. He signed a new contract with Stoke whilst on loan at Preston, with Pulis remarking that Pugh was "an excellent professional... who can be relied upon to come in and do a good job if required". Pugh made only his