DAVID Healy capped a great year with three awards -- and then pledged to do even better next term.

The Northern Ireland international bagged 15 goals over the course of the season, a vast improvement on the previous year when many thought he'd quit Deepdale for Norwich where he spent three months on loan.

His about-turn in fortune and form was rewarded with three gongs at the club's annual awards.

He scooped player of year ahead of Jonathan Gould, whose form has been outstanding for much of the year, and Ricardo Fuller, North End's top scorer.

He received the goal of the season honour for his strike at Stoke City on Boxing Day, and also won the official fans' award.

Healy said: "It is a fantastic honour. It was very hard to come back this season but everything has gone well for me.

"The job now is to do even better next season and that's what we all want to do."

Paul McKenna won the Players' Player of the Year award, while Tyrone Mears won the most improved player award.

McKenna has hit five goals recently, and manager Craig Brown has added him to the list of players he expects to get offers for over the summer break.

But in the meantime, attention has turned to the players Brown feels the club can afford to release.

Six are out of contract and Brown, along with his coaching team, are working out which ones to keep on.

Brown has expressed a desire to bring in three or four new faces, and has also stated he expects his defence to be tighter next year.

That raises question marks over the future of out-of-contract defenders, but so far the only face to depart is one actually offered a new contract -- George Koumantarakis.

The South African was offered a pay-per-play deal at Deepdale after a disappointing year on a full contract. His reluctance to play in the reserves on the way back from injury, plus constant speculation about his future, meant he fell out with sections of the Deepdale crowd.