Roy Keane admits he fears the sack at Ipswich Town.

Keane is in the midst of a terrible run that has seen his side lose their last five Championship games.

That sequence of poor results has left the Tractor Boys 17th, which prompted the board to give the dreaded vote of confidence recently.

On Saturday, the former Manchester United captain faces his old team-mate Darren Ferguson when they play Preston, knowing a defeat could bring an end to his 18-month Ipswich tenure.

"I've had the vote of confidence, so that probably means I'll be gone next week," Keane said.

"If I don't do the business - and I'm not doing it at the moment - I'll have to pay the price. That's life.

"When I see other managers out of work, like Martin O'Neill, Gordon Strachan and now Chris Hughton, I have to count my blessings.

"There are a lot of good people out of football and they have done a lot more in the game than I have."