ONE of Preston's most valued players looks set for a return to the cut and thrust of Division One football as PNE look to run 'Hoops' around Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (February 10).

Right back Graham Alexander, who has been Preston's linch pin for the last two seasons, seems to have put his horrific injury behind him ahead of Saturday's home match against Gerry Francis' beleaguered side who are currently languishing joint-bottom with fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday.

The ex-Luton Town player has been laid out since Boxing Day after suffering a punctured lung at a match against Wolves.

Preston's other inspirational player, skipper Sean Gregan, is now recovering well after his knee operation, but is still likely to miss Saturday's home tie.

Speaking on Preston's official website, Sean said: "It was great for the lads to get back to winning ways last Saturday.

"We haven't played well lately and made a lot of silly mistakes, but it was a great team performance and more importantly a clean sheet.

"You can tell the difference on the training pitch this week, the confidence is high and everyone is looking forward to Saturday now and hopefully another good result." And after the excellent result against Portsmouth, who have one of the best home defence records in the division, Preston boss David Moyes surely must be thinking hard about using the same 'three up front' tactics against QPR who have one of the worst defences in the league.

All three strikers -- Macken, Healy and McBride -- played well against Portsmouth with David Healy unlucky not to bag more goals at Fratton Park.

However, Queens Park Rangers will still be a tough side to beat -- and the player to fear will be Michel Ngonge who scored a super goal against Bolton over the weekend.

North End have released ticket details for the forthcoming fixture against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday March 3.

Fans have been allocated more than 2,000 seats in the Arthur Waite stand, with 500 tickets available to buy in advance and the rest available on the day of the match.

Prices are £18 for adults and £10 for concessions and disabled tickets are available by contacting the PNE ticket office for more details. Tickets will go on sale at 9pm on Tuesday February 6.

Coaches will be departing from Legends car park at 7.45am and tickets are priced at £16 for non-members and £14 for travel club members.