Preston North End skipper Paul McKenna has just two more aims for the remaining five games of the season. The diminutive midfielder wants to ensure his beloved North End secure safety as soon as possible and he also wants to register his first goal of the campaign. The 30-year-old has only ever had one season at PNE where has not grabbed a goal, ironically enough it was ten years ago in the 1997/98 campaign when Preston had a change of manager mid-way through the season and McKenna played just five games.

Paul, with five games to go things are certainly looking a lot more positive than they were five or six games ago.
Yes, they are. It's been a big relief to all the staff and players to get enough points to keep us safe because around Christmas time we were cast adrift at the bottom of the league. But we've come a long way in those few months and that's credit to all the lads.

What's the mood in the camp like? The Gaffer won't want anyone to relax.
We were set a target of reaching 54 points and we've not quite got there yet but with five games to go hopefully we can get that in the next two or three games. We've spoken about setting new targets, the momentum we take with us through till the end of the season hopefully carries on till the start of the next season - when you get in a winning habit it is a hard one to get out of. We're looking to carry on as we have done in the last two months and pick up as many wins as we can on the way in.

What's been the big difference in the last six weeks or so?
I don't think it's just been the last six weeks. Since January when the transfer window opened the Gaffer has brought in a couple of players who have been great signings and they have done really well. He's had time to work on the organisation of the team, we are hard to break down now and with people like Chris Brown up-front we are getting a bit more confidence to score goals. We've made a lot of changes at the back and at the front of the team and it's been working, winning is a habit and once you win two or three you are going out half expecting to win again and you are not frightened to death of losing.

Fans won't have seen too many changes to the starting eleven but it's what takes place out on the training pitches which is making the difference?
It's just things like organisation, when to squeeze and relationships between players at the back and in midfield. When you start doing things like that, it might not be obvious to the naked eye but when you are on the pitch you certainly know about it.

When the Gaffer started the job there was the obvious comparisons made between Alan and David Moyes, having worked with him for a few months now can you see any similarities?
They are really similar in the way that they want their teams organised and in football that's the main thing. That's how Liverpool won the Champions League, they were so organised and you could see that it had been drilled into them. When David was here he was like that on the training ground, it might not always have been the nicest training, you might come in and want to play football having not touched much of the ball but the organisation is what counts and if we keep winnings games on Saturday then the lads are more than willing to do it.

The midfield have chipped in with a few goals but we are still awaiting your first strike of the season.
To be honest me getting goals has been the last thing on my mind this season. I've been taking more of a back seat and sitting in to let other people get forward, but I've hit the bar a few times this year, it's just not happening. I never get so many but hopefully I can get one to scream in over the next few games before the end of the season.

You've also had the skipper's role to contend with.
Yes, I've enjoyed it. The first part of the season wasn't enjoyable, when you are leading the team out and we weren't winning and we were bottom of the league, it's not nice. To see it come full circle, where we are starting to get results now and we are beating a lot of teams it makes the job a lot more sweeter.

Are you looking forward to QPR this weekend? A couple of your former team-mates, Patrick Agyemang and Gareth Ainsworth.
We know all about Pat, he's been on good form since he's been down there, he's one to keep an eye on but we are going there with a lot of confidence which we have taken from recent results. We need to keep winning and getting ourselves as high up the table as possible, we are going there in a good mood and hopefully we can get a good result.

It will be nice to see Gareth again, I always got on well with Gareth and when he came back here on loan we always used to see a lot of each other on the training ground. It will be nice to see him again but once three o'clock comes it is business again.

And when are you two going to start this band?
A band? With Gareth? I don't think that will ever happen, he's got a band already so that's never going to happen.