Despite suffering a blow to the ankle in Saturday's clash with Charlton, Sean St Ledger will be hoping to play some part in Tuesday night's game at Crystal Palace and maintain the fine form that has currently propelled him to the status of one the the division's best-performing defenders - if not one of the best performing players overall.

In an exclusive chat with PNE.com, the Irish international revealed that he suffered nothing worse than bad bruising in an injury time knock at the weekend, and is keeping his fingers crossed that new boss Alan Irvine will opt to stick with him in South London despite an element of soreness.

Indeed, Ledge wants to ensure he's a part of the new era, telling the official site:

"Alan obviously knows a lot. He's really knowledgeable, he's taught me a few things already but I think in general everyone has been enjoying it and we are excited by the challenge. Everyone can learn a lot of things from him, he's come from the Premiership so we are looking forward to it. We want the manager to do well because he seems like a really nice fella.

"Everything is going to take time - he wants to change a few things on the defensive side and also a few things on the attacking side. I think our shape on Saturday was good, we were organised, we were basically just unlucky to concede the goals that we did at the time that we did.

"I think the gaffer has said that against Charlton we didn't deliver the right ball at the right time and that's been the main problem for most of this season. We are working on that on the training ground and hopefully we can score a few goals, entertain the fans and do well.

"With managers or coaches, everyone is different. Everyone has got their own ways and not everyone's way is right. Alan Irvine's way is his way and hopefully he will be right. He seems really calm and thinks things through first of all and I think that's a good way. I think the days of managers ranting and raving have gone out the game and I think we have moved on to a new way of thinking.

"I don't know whether Alan's going to be a strict disciplinarian having worked with David Moyes - we'll have to wait and see. He still might have the hairdryer treatment in the locker that we have yet to see but so far he's been quite calm and relaxed and talks to us in a nice way, but obviously if we need telling off then I'm sure that he's got that in the bag as well.

"It's probably a good thing that everyone has a clean slate under the new manager. I suppose some people who might not have been playing will see this as a new chance, a new beginning to prove to him that they should be playing. For the boys who are playing, it is a challenge for them to keep their shirts.

"On the pitch, we've got a real fight on our hands. We've had two tough away games but they should be the things that you look forward to. Crystal Palace have been in the Premiership and Wolves are a good team and as a player you have got to look forward to these games and I am looking forward to the challenge. It's up to the boys who have got the shirts at the moment to keep them and to try and get us out of the relegation zone.

"Two wins will take us up the table - that's the kind of league we are in. Everybody beats everybody, and if you put a little run together you can shoot up the table. At the moment we are not really worrying too much, but once we get on a little bit of a run hopefully a little bit of luck will come. When you are down there that little bit of luck doesn't seem to come, you might not get the decisions or an off-side might go against you, little things like that.

"One of the first things the manager said was that the teams at the top keep winning and the teams at the bottom keep losing, it's the manager's job to get us out of the habit. If you look at Manchester United, over the years they have got a habit of winning. I suppose our run might have carried on from last year - we lost a few games towards the end of the year and everyone was a bit down.

"We didn't start this season too well and maybe everyone has got into that frame of mind where this could be a bad season or a hard season but we have got to get that out of our minds and concentrate on winning. We've got a good squad capable of getting promotion and the gaffer has said that, he said that he took the job knowing that he had a good bunch of players and knowing that we are not in the place that we should be. Even though we lost our first game he said the same thing to us, he hasn't changed his mind on that and we have to take our positives from that.

"It was always going to be a hard game but you have got to look forward to those types of games. They have just come out of the Premiership, they were organised and they were strong, but at the same time they didn't really cause us too many problems. Granted, they were away from home, but in the second half we dominated but without having any real chances. If we can get more shots and more crosses in then that can make more of a chance for us at the back if we are tight and stronger and not conceding goals. If we don't concede then we are not going to lose the game and we have to start from the back, by not conceding any goals."

And the ankle?

"Oh, the ankle's fine. It's just bad brusing so hopefully I'll be able to play at Palace - fingers crossed!"

Fancy Ledge to get on the scoresheet at Palace? With pnebetting.co.uk he's a staggering 40/1 to score the first or last goal - surely a hugely tempting proposition for such a form player?