Roy Hodgson has asked his Crystal Palace players to ensure he goes out on a high if Sunday’s Premier League finale against Nottingham Forest proves to be his last game in charge.

The 75-year-old has said he is assuming Sunday’s match will be his last, having signed a contract to the end of the season when he returned to his boyhood club following the sacking of Patrick Vieira in March.

His impressive record – 17 points from nine games – has led to speculation that Steve Parish may ask Hodgson to stay on and the former England boss said he would keep his options open – but for now he is treating this weekend as his last in charge.

“We have got satisfaction as a coaching staff from the way the team has played,” Hodgson said.

“We have got satisfaction from the way the team has worked both on and off the training field and in matches, and as a result it leaves a very warm glow going into the last game.

“When I think back to the time we had, it also makes me a little bit nervous. It is the final game of the season in front of the home crowd, playing against a team below us in the table.

“I would like the boys to do well on Sunday and finish off in the best way possible and not finish on a bit of a damp squib.”

Hodgson has steered Palace comfortably clear of the relegation battle as they go into the final round of fixtures in 11th place.

And Hodgson said that was down to the commitment of the players and his backroom staff during the last two months.

“I will look back on this time working here with this group of players with a lot of satisfaction in the end, and what it has done is it has given us a lot of good moments in games when we have played well and got reward for playing well,” he said.

“That’s the thing you are always concerned about as a coach. Can you get the team playing well and doing the right things, defending as you want to defend and attacking as you want the team to attack, but then to get any rewards from it you have to win?

“The good attacking movement has to finish with a goal, not a shot which hits the crossbar or is saved by the goalkeeper or goes behind, because they get forgotten.

“The move will only be discussed or analysed or dissected by the pundits at the end of the game if the ball has gone in the back of the net.”

Jessica Harrington’s Givemethebeatboys maintained his unbeaten record with a narrow victory in the GAIN Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh.

A winner at Navan on his debut just a fortnight ago, he was sent off an 11-1 chance in what looked a strong Group Three on paper as five of the six runners were defending perfect starts to their careers.

The only one beaten on debut, Adrian Murray’s Valiant Force, had been second and he set a scorching gallop down the centre under Colin Keane but started to weaken a furlong out.

At that point Noche Magica looked sure to collect having gone by the eventual winner, but Paddy Twomey’s colt began to tire while Aidan O’Brien’s His Majesty made a run up the rail, only for Givemethebeatboys to poke his head in front in between the pair and win by a head under Shane Foley.

O’Brien’s Democracy, his apparent first string under Ryan Moore, disappointed in last while the winner is now 12-1 for the Coventry at Royal Ascot with Coral.

Assistant trainer Kate Harrington said: “It’s great to kick off the day with a Group Three winner. He was very professional out there and he out battled the other horses the whole way to the line.

“He was very impressive when he won at Navan, a furlong down you’d think ‘how is this horse going to win?’ and he put his head down and galloped the whole way to the line.

“He hated the ground that day and was green. He’s learned an awful lot from that and will learn an awful lot from today, he’ll be even more competitive the next day when we go to Ascot.”

O’Brien had already been on the mark in the opening Tally Ho Stud Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden with Unquestionable.

Third on his debut in a Listed race, he appreciated the step up to six furlongs and the 4-6 favourite bounded four and a quarter lengths clear of Mr Saturday.

The Ballydoyle handler indicted the Coventry Stakes would be next, for which Coral make him a 12-1 chance.

“We’re delighted with him. We felt he’d appreciate the step up, it was big ask to throw him in over five first time in a stakes race, he’s going to get even further than this probably,” said O’Brien.

“Ryan was very happy with him. He went to the line very strong.

“It’s very hard to beat a run and he had a good run. He looks like a Coventry horse.”

Manager Derek McInnes has urged Kilmarnock to meet “fire with fire” when Ross County visit Rugby Park looking for the win they need to avoid a cinch Premiership relegation play-off.

A point will be enough for Killie to finish 10th and escape a play-off final against in-form Partick Thistle but McInnes has told his players “loud and clear” that they must go for the victory.

Killie remained in pole position in the survival battle following a 3-0 win over Dundee United on Wednesday but County came from two goals down against St Johnstone to stay in the race for 10th.

McInnes said: “I said prior to the United game, I thought four points would be enough and that’s the way it has turned out, a point would do us.

“But we have got to be sure of ourselves, that going in with the mindset of trying to get a point is the wrong thing.

“Clearly, we can’t just sit in and hope to win the game or hope to get a point and hope Ross County don’t beat us. That can’t be the case.

“We nave got to try and meet fire with fire. Ross County will come down and see it as a real opportunity, as we do.

“It’s just really, go try to win the game, bring a performance that is similar to the other night. If we can do that, we give ourselves a chance.”

McInnes added: “I’m going to be honest with you, I think the only advantage we have of just needing a point is maybe later in the game or if we get in front and then it can maybe play into our hand a wee bit.

“But I genuinely think it’s folly for me and the players or anybody at Kilmarnock to think we just need a point. We must expect Ross County to come to win the game, as they would do, but we have also got to expect that from ourselves.

“We have to play with that intention to go and win a game of football rather than just sit back and be coy and just hope to win.

“Any time you just hope to win, you don’t. You have got to go and set about the task and that will be the message loud and clear to the players that there is a performance needed here, it’s not just hoping that Ross County don’t win and Ross County don’t turn up.

“We have got to expect a strong Ross County performance and we have got to expect that ourselves.”

Godolphin’s Eternal Hope has been supplemented for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday, resulting in a possible maximum field of 15.

The Charlie Appleby-trained filly won the Lingfield Oaks Trial on the all-weather earlier this month, beating Aidan O’Brien’s Be Happy by a length and three-quarters.

That was just the third run of her career but having impressed Appleby in a piece of work on Saturday morning, the decision was made to pay the £30,000 supplementary fee.

The runner-up at Lingfield could take on Eternal Hope again as one of six potential runners for Ballydoyle.

Boogie Woogie, Jackie Oh, Red Riding Hood, Warm Heart and the ante-post favourite Savethelastdance – so impressive when winning the Cheshire Oaks on soft ground – make up the potential O’Brien team.

John Gosden, who along with O’Brien is responsible for the last nine winners of the race, now trains with son Thady and they appear to have a strong hand.

Pretty Polly winner Running Lion, the mount of Oisin Murphy, and Musidora heroine Soul Sister, who is set to be ridden by Frankie Dettori, comprise the Clarehaven challenge.

The fourth and fifth from the 1000 Guineas, Jack Channon’s Caernarfon and Charlie Johnston’s Dance In The Grass, could run in their second Classics while David Menuisier’s Heartache Tonight, beaten a little over a length in the Group One Prix Saint-Alary, is another contender.

Karl Burke’s Bright Diamond, Richard Hannon’s Maman Joon and Andrew Balding’s Sea Of Roses complete the list.

Emily Upjohn tops a possible 9 contenders for Friday’s Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly returns to the scene of her narrow defeat in last year’s Oaks, when she was edged out by a short head in a thrilling finish with Tuesday.

She gained Group One consolation on her final outing of the year in the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot last October and she is at the head of the betting with most firms to make a triumphant return on the opening day of the Derby meeting.

The Ralph Beckett-trained Westover is also at the top of the market, having finished an unlucky third in the Derby last June before going on to land the Irish version at the Curragh.

He already has a run under his belt this season having chased home Japanese star Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night back in March.

Godolphin pin their hopes on Hurricane Lane, the 2021 St Leger hero who roared back to form for trainer Charlie Appleby with a six-length victory in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket last time out.

Aidan O’Brien has three to choose from in Chester scorer Point Lonsdale, last year’s Derby fifth Changingoftheguard and Broome, winner of the Dubai Gold Cup and third in the Yorkshire Cup earlier this month.

The Peter Schiergen-trained Tunnes is a fascinating contender having hacked up in a German Group One by 10 lengths at the backend of last year before an unsuccessful Japan Cup challenge.

Tunnes, a half-brother to Arc victor Torquator Tasso, suffered a surprise defeat on his seasonal bow, though.

Likely outsiders Royal Champion, who represents Roger Varian, and the David Menuisier-trained Caius Chorister complete the list of confirmations.

Lewis Hamilton crashed out of final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion lost control of his Mercedes through the right-hander Mirabeau and ended up in the wall.

Hamilton sustained front suspension damage in the low-speed accident with his Mercedes team now facing a race against time to repair his car for qualifying at 4pm local time (3pm UK).

“Sorry about that, mate,” said Hamilton on the radio, shortly before trudging away from his broken machine with his hands behind his back.

“No worries, we will sort it,” replied Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington.

Hamilton was running in eighth place before he crashed out with just five minutes remaining.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell expects the unexpected as Dundee United travel to Fir Park needing goals galore to avoid the drop.

United must win at Fir Park and hope Kilmarnock beat Ross County while achieving an eight-goal swing against the Staggies to get off the bottom of the cinch Premiership.

Tannadice manager Jim Goodwin admits they would need a “minor miracle” which is all the more unlikely given United have lost four games in a row while Motherwell have only lost twice in 13 games under Kettlewell.

Nonetheless, the Well boss recognises the unusual circumstances make it harder to second-guess his opponent’s game plan.

“I have had a fair amount of thought about it since we all played on Wednesday, and it probably becomes a little bit unpredictable in terms of what Jim does with his team,” said Kettlewell, whose team are aiming to seal seventh spot.

“We just have to prepare as best we possibly can but we can probably all in this room have a stab at how they are going to set up, what they are going to do, and I don’t know if any of us would get it right.

“I don’t mean any disrespect in that, it’s just the situation they find themselves in.

“I think the one constant I would imagine, having played against Jim’s teams on more than one occasion, as long as there’s a chance they are going to be fighting and they are going to come here and try and win by a margin. We have to brace ourselves for that.

“I believe Dundee United players and staff will feel that they owe that to their supporters so that’s what we have to expect.

“It’s just important that we try to finish off the season with as best a performance as we can.

“Every single week we go out to win the game but it does become a slightly different situation to what we have faced in recent weeks.

“As much as teams have been fighting for their life, it almost gets to that point where you need an exact number of goals.

“So it can change the mentality a little bit but it’s my job to make sure it doesn’t change too much in our players’ approach and mindset.”

Boss Unai Emery admits Aston Villa’s final step to return to Europe will be their hardest.

Villa host Brighton on Sunday knowing victory would seal a European comeback for the first time since 2010-11.

It would book seventh in the Premier League and a Europa Conference League play-off spot but Emery knows it is a tough test.

“We have to be very ambitious and I am. I’m here trying to push everybody, to demand from everybody to get better playing and to take European places,” he said.

“We have to take each step being strong and being passionate about how to do it. We are in this way. We are progressing very well.

“I’m very, very happy with the players and their commitment, their character and they are responding very well. We are also connecting with our supporters.

“We are in the first step. If we achieve our objective on Sunday, we will be very, very happy.

“It’s the next step because we started by escaping from the bottom (of the table), we got into the top 10 and then we have the objective to be in the European places.

“The most difficult step is to get it, but we have our objective. And then if we don’t, it’s not changing our idea or our mind about how we want to improve.”

Brighton have already qualified for the Europa League, sealing sixth place with Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

Boss Roberto De Zerbi has impressed since replacing Graham Potter in September and Emery is an admirer.

He said: “Football is changing so quickly. I’m 51 years old, I started coaching at 32, so I’ve had 19 years as a coach and manager.

“Always I am very focussed on how I can improve each day to be today, better than yesterday, to be tomorrow, better than today.

“It’s not only about my work or my experiences or my analysis, it’s about trying to watch other coaches. One of them is Roberto De Zerbi.

“I like coaches who can show us something different tactically, offensively and defensively. In football, you have to be in the fast train because it moves so quickly.”

David Martindale insists Livingston’s poor recent form should not detract from their accomplishments over the course of the campaign.

There is a sense of deflation around the Lions at present as they have won only four of their last 17 games in all competitions and missed out on the top six in the cinch Premiership despite having been as high as fourth in January.

But Martindale was keen to point out that if they win their final match away to St Johnstone on Sunday – which could take them up to seventh place – they will equal the points tally of 49 they accrued last term, in what was widely deemed a positive campaign.

“If we win, we finish on the same points tally as last season and we’ve already won as many games (13) as we did last season, but last year was a fantastic season, so it’s about trying to put it all in perspective,” he said.

“We can’t finish any lower than eighth, there’s an opportunity to finish seventh. I’m at peace with all of that. It’s just about trying to pick up three points on Sunday.”

As disappointed as he remains not to have made the top six, Martindale insists Livingston – operating on the lowest budget in the league – deserve credit for not becoming embroiled in a relegation battle.

“We had a decent start, I was really happy with the start,” said the manager, reflecting on the campaign. “We’ve not been at our best probably since January onwards but we’ve still picked up points.

“The main objective is staying in the Premiership and we’ve done it quite comfortably. With the position we got ourselves into around the turn of the year, we’re disappointed we didn’t make the top six.

“But we went into the last game before the split, the same as last year, knowing that if we won we’d have gone into the top six so if we put it into perspective and take the emotion out of it, I’ve got to take my hat off to the players and staff for keeping Livingston in the Premiership.”

Steven MacLean has been handed a three-year contract as St Johnstone manager after leading the Perth side to safety.

The former Saints striker stepped up to replace Callum Davidson on a caretaker basis last month and has only lost one of his five cinch Premiership games in charge.

Steve Brown has rewarded him with an extended contract just before he steps down as chairman.

MacLean, whose side host Livingston in their final league game on Sunday, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity.

“I met with the chairman (on Friday) and we sorted things out very quickly. I thank him and the board for giving me this exciting opportunity.

“St Johnstone has a very special place in my heart. This club has been a massive part of my life and means so much to me.

“We have secured our SPFL Premiership status and that was my immediate goal.

“But the work for next season starts now and I will be giving my all to be a successful St Johnstone manager.”

Brown said: “I am delighted to get Steven secured on a three-year contract.

“I’ve known him for many years and I always had him down as a leader.

“As interim manager, he hit his targets very quickly and it became abundantly clear that he was the man I wanted to lead us on a permanent basis.

“He totally gets St Johnstone from top to bottom and has an excellent rapport with our supporters. We all believe good times are ahead for our club.”

Ross County manager Malky Mackay is adamant the clarity of his relegation-threatened team’s situation this weekend means there will be no lingering hangover from the concession of a last-gasp equaliser against St Johnstone on Wednesday.

The Staggies fought back from 2-0 down to lead Saints 3-2 in the closing stages, but the Perth side hit back at the death to equalise.

Fortunately for County, the late goal did not significantly alter their overall predicament, as even if they had held on to win, their inferior goal difference means they would still require a victory away to 10th-placed Kilmarnock on Sunday to leapfrog their hosts and get out of the relegation play-off spot.

As it stands, the 11th-placed Staggies are two points behind Killie and know that they need a win at Rugby Park to secure their cinch Premiership survival and consign their opponents to a play-off against Championship promotion hopefuls Partick.

“I don’t think anything changed with winning and not winning on Wednesday,” said Mackay.

“For us to come out of the bottom two spots, we need to go down to Kilmarnock and win, and even if we’d won on Wednesday we’d have needed to do that anyway.

“We go there knowing exactly what we need to do.”

County still have the lingering threat of being dragged back into bottom place and automatically relegated but that would require an unlikely eight-goal swing in favour of Dundee United, who are away to in-form Motherwell.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has described Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as the best coach in the modern era and an inspiration ahead of Sunday’s game at the Gtech Community Stadium.

City’s recent Premier League title win was their fifth under Guardiola’s stewardship and they will look to build on that in the FA Cup and Champions League finals next month.

Frank, whose side won at City in November, talked up treble-chasing Guardiola’s impact on the game which he admitted has inspired him during his managerial career.

“He’s top class, after the game he said it was well deserved (Brentford’s win). I only come across him when he shows class all the way through and I look forward to congratulating him on winning the Premier League,” Frank said.

“Many people have spoken about Pep Guardiola for good reasons. I think he is in the modern era, the best coach, most innovative, he’s developed the game massively.

“I studied him a lot when he was at Barcelona and followed him closely, I’ve been inspired by his work and he’s definitely an inspiration.”

Brentford will have to deal with record-breaking striker Erling Haaland, who has netted 36 Premier League goals in his debut campaign.

Frank lauded the 22-year-old for his impact on English football since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund.

“Haaland added a different dimension to City, he is so good in the box,” Frank added.

“If you see the disallowed goal against Brighton he makes four or five movements before the cross comes in, it’s very rare for me to see this from a striker.

“He’s always on the move which is so difficult to defend against, he is also always focussed and believes the ball will come in for every chance.

“A top finisher who can use the left foot, right foot and header but I think the biggest thing he’s given them is the pace in behind.

“I think it’s very impressive the amount of goals he’s scored which has destroyed the Premier League and there is probably even more to come.

“I know he broke the record this year and he’ll probably break it again next year.”

Frank highlighted the quality in City’s squad as he tried to predict which line-up Guardiola will pick.

He said: “They have 22 unbelievable players so who is the best? (Ruben) Dias or (Aymeric) Laporte? I don’t know that, I am not sure even Pep knows that, that’s two top players.

“Who’s on the wing? (Jack) Grealish, (Phil) Foden, (Riyad) Mahrez or (Bernardo) Silva? I myself wouldn’t know who to pick so they put world-class players out there and we need to top perform, our fans need to top perform and we need to finish off the season in style.”