Preston North End FC

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• Manager:Phil Brown

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Irvine hails amazing Preston

04 May 2009 - 10:28:54

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Preston North End boss Alan Irvine hailed the 'amazing' achievement of his players after they snatched an unlikely place in the Championship play-offs.

The Lilywhites' 2-1 victory over QPR at Deepdale coupled with Cardiff City's 1-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday ensured Irvine's side sneaked into sixth place in the table by virtue of having scored one more goal than the Welsh club over the course of the 46-game season.

"It's amazing to think how far we've come since this time last year and it's also an amazing response to what was probably the lowest point I've had in my time here (losing to Blackpool last month to drop out of play-off contention)," said Irvine.

"I don't know how many times it's been done for a team to win their last four games in the Championship, but it won't have happened many times."

Ahead of the play-off semi-final meeting with Sheffield United, Irvine added: "We're in form, but so are they. Their form since the turn of the year has been fantastic.

"We'll need to play well to beat them, but if we play to our best, we can compete against anyone in the division.

"If we don't, and we are slightly off our game, then we will lose."