The North End boss wants to cross the line still sprinting after the recent run of six games unbeaten and has challenged the team to go flat out over the final lap of five games, starting against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

"I want us to finish the season on a high, not deflated after a run of defeats.

"We aren't in holiday mode just yet, there are five games to go and I would like us to win them all", said Irvine.

North End travel to London on Saturday as the division's form team, with 19 points from a possible 24.

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Irvine may have been narrowly pipped at the post for the Manager of the Month award for March by Hull City's Phil Brown yesterday, but the Scotsman's record over the last eight games is still better than anyone's in the Championship.

And he wants his side to underline the strength of their revival with another win against a club with the spending power to rival anyone across the football world.

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Formula One moguls Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore have a bob or two and billionaire Lakshmi Mittal is the fourth richest man in the world, yet QPR have still not matched PNE's climb up the table since the turn of the year.

Irvine has had two injury worries this week following last Saturday's 3-1 win over Sheffield United, but the manager is still hoping he can name an unchanged side.

Callum Davidson was the biggest concern with a troublesome hip, being rated on Tuesday at only 50-50 to make Loftus Road.

But things have improved with the full-back returning to training yesterday, albeit for only three-quarters of the session at Springfields.

Simon Whaley, who took a hefty knock in the abdomen late in the last match, has been training flat out and Matt Hill is standing by in case Davidson fails to make the game in London.

Lewis Neal would almost certainly deputise for Whaley if he suffers a reaction.

Irvine will not concede his side are safe until they reach his 54-point target – and then he intends to set them a new one to make sure they go right through to the end of the campaign on full throttle.

He said: "I haven't given them a figure yet as we haven't reached 54, but we are nearly there. But even 54 will not be enough – enough to satisfy us all.

"The boys don't want to finish there just having done enough to stay up. They want to go on and see how many points they can get and how far up the table they can climb.

"I think we can finish the season with a smile on our faces if we keep going the way we are.

"I don't think that the players will intentionally take their foot off the gas when they get to 54 points.

For more from Alan Irvine, pick up a copy of Friday's Lancashire Evening Post

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