Preston gaffer lands April accolade

07 May 2009 13:50
The Preston boss was recognised after steering his side into the play-offs. Preston picked up just one point from their first two games in April but then embarked on a winning run to move up the table. The highlights were a 6-0 demolition of promotion rivals Cardiff at home and a 2-1 success at Birmingham. Preston then secured sixth spot on the final day of the season with a 2-1 victory over QPR, as Cardiff slipped up at Sheffield Wednesday. "We finished the season very, very well," Irvine told Sky Sports News. "It looked as though we were going to miss out on the play-offs, having been in contention for most of the season and it would have been a big disappointment. "But fortunately results went our way at the end and we did our own job, which was the most important thing from our point of view." Reflecting on the significance of the win against Cardiff, Irvine added: "It was a great day for us but it was a freak result. "We were actually fortunate to go into half-time 2-0 up, but it was a huge result." Irvine is now looking forward to the two-legged semi-final against third-placed Sheffield United. He added: "We certainly feel very good about the situation and we are delighted to be in the play-offs, but at the same time we are now going to have to play two games against probably the form team in the division since Christmas."

Source: Team_Talk