Source: Team_Talk
Irvine hoping for fitness boost
The North End boss was beset by injuries last season, with eight players either missing the entire campaign or large chunks of it.
Preston still made the play-offs, but Irvine is hoping for better luck on the injury front as he attempts to take his side one step further in 2009/10.
"I do hope to have more players available then I did at times last season," Irvine told the Lancashire Evening Post.
"I didn't think the problem was not having a big enough squad in the first place, it was that we had so many long-term injuries. We had eight players who missed either all the season or huge parts of it, and with having a tight-knit squad, we couldn't cope.
"That was where the problem arose. If everyone had been fit, there would have been good competition for every position - eight defenders, eight midfielders, four forwards and three goalkeepers - but it didn't work out that way."
