The final Deepdale encounter of a season memorable on so many levels is upon us, and manager Alan Irvine is looking to reward the fans for their loyalty this season with a fine send off against Ipswich.

We caught up with him to discuss the encounter, including a prognosis on a number of injured bodies, and how the game can form a platform on which to build for the start of next season...

What sort of approach are you expecting from our visitors, Ipswich Town?

"They probably need to win their last two games in order to get in the Play-Offs. They're going to come here desperate to win, and when I saw them the other week against Norwich I thought they were very good.

"They play nice football and we've just done our video work on them looking at the game against Wolves - that game was a draw, and it probably looked like the right result. Both teams had a lot of play, both teams had a lot of chances, and it finished one each with a Tommy Miller free-kick in the last minute of the game.

"I don't expect them to come defending. They're a nice football team, so I expect they will come and play, try and get forward, and we're going to have to make sure that we defend well. I think it will be an open game."

What are we looking for in this effective 'dead rubber' fixture?

"I've said to the players that we know we're safe, and these three points aren't going to make a significant difference to us in terms of position, but we don't want to finish on a low point, especially in our last game at home. We want to give the fans something to cheer about because it's been a season where we've not given them as much to cheer about as we would like.

"Obviously things have been better since January but we want to finish on a high. We're going to go round afterwards to thank the fans for their support, and we would like to do that with a victory under our belts. It's always a lot nicer to go round doing that with a smile on your face, rather than feeling disheartened because you've not won the game.

"I mentioned when we got to the 54 points that we don't just want the season to peter out, and we want to end it feeling good about ourselves. I think we played well at Plymouth and QPR, and also played well enough to have beaten Barnsley, yet we only came out of it with two points from those games.

"We want to take the good play and make sure that it results in us winning the last two games."

Let's hope there's plenty of PNE supporters there for this weekend's encounter so both parties can thank one another, and hopefully generate an atmosphere that's condusive to collecting that victory you're looking for.

"I hope so. Obviously it would be great if they could turn out in great numbers. We want to put on a show for the fans, and hopefully they can get behind us as well. I've said many times that it's a joint effort."

What's the prognosis on Sean St Ledger and Billy Jones following their injuries last Saturday? Any chance we'll see them, or a return for Chris Brown?

"Ledge is struggling - he's not going to be available for the weekend, so that's one who's out. Billy won't play because of his injury either - it's a gash on his Achilles tendon. It wasn't a nice gash, it was quite deep, and it's been stitched. Where it is, there's a chance it could open up as you move your foot up and down, so he's got no chance for this week or next, whereas Ledge might have a chance for next weekend.

"With Browny, we're hoping he'll train on Friday. I know we've been here before, but we're hopeful. We've got Craig Beattie back now and he's obviously getting the benefit of training, which is great."



Presumably the defensive injuries open the door for Michael Hart and Neal Trotman to show what they can do?

"Yes, it's an opportunity for them. They've been waiting for their opportunity, and it's fantastic that they're getting it. Obviously Trots has made his debut now, so this is his home debut, and that will obviously be exciting for the lad. Michael has been waiting so patiently for his opportunity, so he's got that, and I'm delighted for the two of them. I've got plenty of confidence in both of them. Neal also turns 21 on Saturday - what a fantastic day to make your home debut!

Michael's wait seems to have been an understandably long one, so it's great that he's now fully fit and able to step in now that fate has dealt its hand.

"He's been desperate for this chance, and he's a great professional. From the moment that he knew he wasn't going to be in the 16 last week, he came to me and asked if he could do a bit of work before the game. It's a fantastic attitude, and it's the way that he is as a lad. He's a consumate professional."



It was a great surprise to be able to get Craig back to the Club last weekend after his speedy recovery from injury - how is he looking at the moment?

"In terms of training, he's getting through it without any problem. In terms of match fitness, he's obviously not played since Leicester but I think that players can get through their first game in any case on adrenalin. I wouldn't be worried about him in terms of coming in and playing."

Can these games effectively be looked upon as a warm-up for next season?

"Yes. I've said to the lads that this is the start of next season - this is the beginning of us preparing for next season. Every time you cross that white line you're being judged. Therefore, it's really important that the players put on a good performance every game."

Presumably you're already making all the necessary preparations for the new campaign?

"I'm looking at possibilities for players, and I'm also looking at possibilities for pre-season. It's not been possible to do that until this week with complete confidence because I wasn't sure exactly what division we were going to be playing in.

"I've made a number of calls this week, and I'm putting together our options for the best possible pre-season campaign we can have. I certainly want to take the lads abroad, but I also understand that pre-season hasn't to be an expensive situation for the Club, so we need to cover our costs which will hopefully mean getting a couple of games here that will do that.

"I would like to go to Austria, because we've been there with Everton a number of times - I think four out of the six years I was there included trips to Austria. I think the Austrian training camps are fantastic. The weather's brilliant, they know what they're doing, and I've got connections there.

"A lot of teams go there year after year because of that - teams like Arsenal, Real Madrid and Roma keep going back to the camps that I know, so that tells you everything about the quality of the camps. The good thing is that we can get in three sessions a day, because there's nothing else for them to do while we're there! We might as well get plenty of training done because we're there to train and the lads know that."

Are you making a list of players you want to target in the summer?

"There's not really a list. We're just taking a look at our options, and it may depend which phone calls we get in the summer. I'm not looking at making wholesale changes or anything like that, but I'll look and see what opportunities are out there for us. I'll have to also wait and see what phone calls come in for our players, and look at whether they're moves we'd like to go with or not.

"I don't expect us to be linked with a lot of players who cost a lot of money. We certainly won't be looking to make any moves that put the Club at risk. This Club is very well run and I knew when I came in that I wasn't going to be able to buy success. That's not going to happen - we're going to have to work hard to earn success.

"I'm perfectly happy to work on that basis."

Don't miss the last home game of the season - head to MyPNE.com and secure your seat for the Ipswich encounter, including a post-match lap of the Deepdale pitch where the players will show their thanks for your support throughout the season.