The exit door at Deepdale looks likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future after the Club exercised the right to extend the contract of Lewis Neal - the final remaining member of the squad whose contractual status needed ratifying for the 2008/09 season.

Neal could have walked free on a Bosman this summer, but with an existing clause in his contract allowing the deal to be automatically extended for a further 12 months, Alan Irvine had no hesitation in taking up the option of retaining the left winger's services.

It means that the gaffer's squad seems likely to remain settled during the close season, with similar 12-month contract extensions having been applied to Callum Davidson and Joe Anyinsah's deals earlier in the season, while the trio of youngsters who were on year-long contracts - Dylan Adams, Chris McGrail and Andrew Murphy  - have already had their futures resolved.

Adams and McGrail have both been released, while Murphy has been offered an extension to his existing contract.

"It wasn't a difficult choice for me," admitted Irvine, as he explained his decision to retain the senior trio of of Anyinsah, Davidson and Neal. 

"Lewis is a good player who has made a good contribution to the team this season - I would expect him to make a contribution again next season. We had the option to keep him, and I felt it was a very straightforward decision to take up that option. If we had not taken that option up then Lewis would have had plenty of other options within the Championship and the leagues below.

"Callum is a really valuable member of our team and our squad, and someone who is fantastic to have not only on the pitch, but also around the Club, in the dressing room, on the training ground, everything. I can't speak highly enough of him or Lewis.

"Once again, it wasn't a difficult decision to keep Joe. In his case, it gives me a bit more of a chance to see him because I hadn't really seen him playing and my knowledge of him was certainly very limited. Obviously I know a lot more about him now, though he hasn't had a chance to play in the first team, because the one time he was close to it, he pulled his hamstring.

"He's since been out on loan at Crewe, he will come back to us for the start of pre-season training, and he will have his opportunities to impress in the pre-season games."