His side go into Saturday's home game with Barnsley as the second-best performers since the turn of the year.

And Irvine is demanding his side go gunning for as many points as possible from their remaining four games to overhaul Hull City and finish the season on top of the form table.

"We were bottom of the table on New Year's Day and now we are in a much
healthier position," said Irvine as he prepared for the visit
of Simon Davey's beaten FA Cup semi-finalists.

"If we could finish the season as the form team of 2008 then that would be fantastic."

North End have mounted a spectacular recovery from propping up the table on January 1 and looking doomed.

Irvine's side have amassed 30 points from their 17 games (an average of 1.76 a match) to claw their way up to 15th, seven points clear of the drop zone and only eight points away from the play-off places.

Hull, who went into 2008 in 10th place in the league, have taken 34 points from 17 games to lift themselves up to fourth, just two points off an automatic promotion place.

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"Hull have done brilliantly, but so have we," Irvine told the Evening Post.

"I said that when we reached 54 points – the target I set them in January – that I would set another goal. So I have talked to them and told them I would like us to finish as the best team in 2008.

"I would like us to stay unbeaten in our remaining four games.

"It won't be easy because of the teams we still have to play. But it is achievable. Really I would like us to win all four. But we may not need to win them all to finish top of the form table."

Irvine admitted he had been surprised to learn North End had been in the top two for results since the turn of the year.

"I knew we had been doing well, but I didn't realise how good our form has been in comparison to everyone else.

"We have been picking up almost two points a game. That's not just good – that's championship form!

"Of course it is going to be difficult to maintain that.

"But if we can then it would mean everyone would go away for the summer on a high and return for next season feeling good."

Behind Hull and Preston in the 2008 form table come Wolves, who have averaged 1.66 points a match, followed by Stoke and Queens Park Rangers, who have both netted 1.59.

Irvine will send out his players tomorrow with the message: keep doing what you're doing.

He travelled to Vicarage Road on Wednesday to watch strugglers Barnsley pull off a shock 3-0 win over promotion-chasers Watford.

It was the perfect pick-me-up for the Tykes after their FA Cup heartbreak at Wembley on Sunday.

But Irvine is hoping that performance was the backlash and Davey's side have got it out of their system.