The former Everton assistant admitted he was 'satisfied' with his first half-year in charge after rescuing the club from the brink of relegation.

But he admitted: "There were times when I thought we might not make it."

Irvine was hard at work today planning for next season while his players were completing the first fortnight of their summer break.

It will be another three weeks before he can get a bit of sun on his back – but at last he has a bit of time to reflect on his achievement of lifting North End out of the doldrums and into mid-table safety.

He told the Evening Post: "How would I sum it up? Well, it's been tough, but I've really enjoyed it.

"Early on I wasn't sure we could get out of the position that we were in. There were times when I really feared for us.

"I suppose at Crystal Palace in my second game – I got a bit of a shock about where we were.

"I was okay about my first game against Charlton even though we lost. I thought the performance was quite good and on another day we might have got something.

"But after the Palace game I thought, 'Wow, there's an awful lot of work to be done'.

"There were another couple of low points, like losing at home to Scunthorpe and the game at Sheffield Wednesday on New Year's Day when we threw away a lead and went bottom.

"It took a little longer than I would have liked for things to drop into place.

"But in many ways that makes me feel better than it would have done if we had won our first few games when I arrived and then not won again for 10.

"I think all that would have said was there had been a reaction to a new face and a new voice.

"With us it wasn't like that. It was a steady improvement.

"I had hoped it would have come a bit quicker because of the position we were in.

"But I do feel that after those first few games that it looked like things were sinking in.

"And once they did we went on a really good run."

Preston were still in the bottom three in late February.

But a 2-0 win over table-toppers Stoke City at Deepdale lifted them out of the relegation places and began an impressive run which ended with a 15th-place finish.

Irvine added: "Funnily enough I didn't have any sleepless nights – I don't usually get much sleep as it is!

"I tend to go to bed quite late and get up early. So it's usually sheer exhaustion which gets me to sleep.

"Even through the bad times I have been enjoying it."

For more from the Preston boss, pick up a copy of Tuesday's Lancashire Evening Post.

How would you evaluate Alan Irvine's first six months in charge, leave your thoughts below.