Striker Shefki Kuqi and midfielder Velice Sumulikoski are back in the Town party travelling to Preston for Saturday's crunch penultimate game of the season. The duo are likely to be amongst the subs at Deepdale as the Blues chase their fourth away win of 2007/08.

The Blues, now sitting in eighth, three points behind sixth-placed Crystal Palace, who have a better goal difference, realistically need to win both their remaining games. The Eagles, Watford and Bristol City are all catchable, while seventh-placed Wolves, a point ahead of Town after their midweek victory over Cardiff, are also looking to usurp one of the sides in the play-off places.

Boss Jim Magilton says his side need to ignore the implications of games elsewhere and focus on their own matches: "We must concentrate on our own job in hand and not worry about what other teams are doing.

"We must focus on the job in hand and come out of tomorrow's game as winners.

"We only need to worry about ourselves. Three points will see us still in the hunt going into our final match at home to Hull. And then you never know what might happen.

"We have an opportunity to experience the play-offs and if any player asked me my thoughts on my appearance at Wembley for Ipswich in 2000, it would take me three days to explain all the thrills.

"There will be a big pain if we don't move up from eighth place and we hope it doesn't happen. But at the moment we must ensure it doesn't happen tomorrow by beating Preston.”

The Town manager is unlikely to make too many changes from the side which drew 1-1 at Wolves last week. Stephen Bywater will continue in goal with Danny Simpson on the right and David Wright, perhaps Town's most impressive player at Molineux, on the left. Jason De Vos and Alex Bruce will be in the centre with Richard Naylor out for the season having undergone neck surgery.

In midfield, Danny Haynes had a less than impressive game last week, but may still get the nod ahead of Gavin Williams due to his greater goal threat.

Magilton could choose to move Jon Walters back to his right midfield role, but with Kuqi not 100% and Alan Lee off form in recent weeks, Town's Players' Player of the Year will probably be up front with Pablo Couñago. Kuqi and Jordan Rhodes are likely to be amongst the subs.

Alan Quinn will again start on the left of midfield with Owen Garvan and Tommy Miller, who had a spell on loan with Preston last season, in the centre, with Sumilikoski likely to come off from the bench at some stage in the game. David Norris remains on the sidelines with his heel injury.

Preston boss Alan Irvine is looking for his players to give the club's fans something to smile about after a difficult season, which has seen them struggle but ultimately survive: "The supporters have been terrific throughout what has been a trying season for everyone.

"There hasn't been much for them to cheer about and it would be nice to finish on a high for them.

"The players will be going round afterwards to thank the fans for their support and it would be nice if we could do that with a victory under our belts."

Loan striker Craig Beattie is expected to make his first home start having returned to Deepdale after recovering from an injury back at West Brom. The Scottish international picked up the knock on his only Lilywhites appearance up to now at Leicester last month.

Preston will give a debut to right-back Michael Hart, a January signing from Aberdeen, in place of Billy Jones, who has an achilles injury. Another January recruit, centre-half Neal Trotman, who celebrates his birthday on Saturday, will make his full debut for Sean St Ledger, who is out with a hamstring problem, having made his first North End appearance as a sub last week.

Irish international keeper Wayne Henderson is a long-term absentee due to a back injury.

Town and Preston have met on only relatively few occasions throughout their histories with honours even. Both sides have won eight (both seven in the league) with five matches ending in draws, all league games.

Earlier in the season, at Portman Road, goals from Alan Lee and Tommy Miller put the Blues comfortably in front before Neil Mellor controversially ‘won' himself a penalty, which he converted in the 88th minute.

At Deepdale last season, a Michael Ricketts goal won the day for the Lilywhites with boss Jim Magilton being sent to the stand by referee Mark Clattenburg. Town's last win away at Preston came back in 1979/80 in an FA Cup tie, two goals from Paul Mariner and one from Alan Brazil taking the Blues to a 3-0 victory.

Town's last league win at Deepdale came in the 1965/66 season when Bobby Kellard scored the only goal of the game.

A trip to Preston provides an opportunity to visit the brilliant National Football Museum which is within Deepdale itself. TWTD's video diary of the play-off semi-final game at Bolton in 1999/00 has been an exhibit since the museum opened in 2001 and was still on display when we were in Preston last season. Admission is free.

The other games for Town fans to keep an eye on are Wolves' trip to Coventry, Crystal Palace's visit to automatic promotion-chasing Hull City, Bristol City's game at ninth-placed Sheffield United and Watford's home match with already-relegated Scunthorpe.

Saturday's referee is Eddie Ilderton from Tyne and Wear, who has shown 66 yellow and three red cards in 29 games so far this season. Ilderton's last Town game was the 1-0 defeat away at Barnsley last season in which he booked four players, including Owen Garvan and Dan Harding.

Likely squad: Bywater, Colgan, Simpson, Wright, Sito, Harding, De Vos, Bruce, Wilnis, Garvan, Miller, Sumulikoski, Trotter, Haynes, Quinn, Williams, Roberts, Walters, Couñago, Lee, Kuqi, Rhodes.

Photo: Action Images

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