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"Derby games are great games and if we can get the same level of football that we got in the game at Burnley then the fans are in for a treat," he said. "The game at Turf Moor was certainly one of the early successes, I enjoyed the game and really enjoyed the performance, we played really well. It's a game I look back on and I think that was good, that was the start of the encouraging signs."
Speaking about the starts the two managers have made Irvine added: "Owen certainly hit the ground running, he got off to a great start and when we went there they were on a very good run of form and Owen's managed to maintain that.
"My situation has been a little bit different because I came in and the team were struggling at the bottom of the league and clearly there was a lot of work to be done, I had to rebuild the confidence and things like that. We've done that steadily, rather than it happening immediately, so I'm delighted with the progress that we have made, particularly since Christmas where we have amassed a lot of points compared to what we had prior to then.
"I don't think we've produced play off form, I think we've achieved Championship form, you just have to look at the form tables and see where we are at the moment, we are doing very well. Since the turn of the year we have picked up 23 points from 13 games and that's good form, and the last half dozen games have been very good. But we have to keep it up to make sure that we are safe."
On Burnley he said: "They are a good enough team to get to the play offs and Owen has done a good job there, but we are certainly hoping they don't add to their points tally this weekend. Andrew Cole is a terrific striker, he's got a fantastic knack of scoring goals, he's had a great career and goalscorers score goals, he will be a threat if he plays."
Despite the feeling of not having had a fair deal when the two sides met at the Turf Owen Coyle has said this is no revenge mission but just a game from which we need to get three points.
"Saturday is all about winning the game and getting our push for the play offs back on track," he said. "Our focus is to get three points and that is the be all and end all. But we will look to do that in the right way and play in the right manner.
"We must earn the right to play and then when we have done that we need to get the ball down and play. Yes, it is going to be a tough game, but we know it is a game we can win.
"There are some big clubs in this division, clubs that have invested heavily, but we know we are more than capable of winning matches and we need to do that consistently for the next seven games."