Preston North End will play Bolton Wanderers in the first division play-off final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on May 28th after a thrilling 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory over Birmingham City in the second leg of their semi-final at Deepdale last night.
Paul McKenna converted the decisive spot-kick for David Moyes's side after the game finished 2-1 to Preston after extra time, level at 2-2 on aggregate.
Graham Alexander, David Healy and Sean Gregan had all scored their penalties before McKenna got his turn. Rob Edwards had missed his spot-kick but early failures from Marcelo and Darren Purse meant it was all over for Birmingham.
Even successful kicks from Stan Lazaridis and Nicky Eaden could not save them and, as two years ago against Watford, they lost a play-off semi-final in a penalty shoot-out.
Birmingham, also beaten in last season's play-offs, had led from the first leg but second leg goals from Healy and Mark Rankine, with one in reply from Geoff Horsfield, had taken the game to extra-time and then penalties.
It was an agonising end for Birmingham, who also lost the League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium to Liverpool in a penalty shoot-out in February.
Preston, promoted last season from division two, had taken the lead with a fine angled drive from Healy into the top corner of the net after 24 minutes. But Geoff Horsfield side-footed home a Stan Lazaridis cross after 58 minutes to equalise for Birmingham.
Preston then blew a glorious opportunity of levelling on aggregate when Graham Alexander, who had never missed a penalty, blasted his spot-kick against the bar with only 10 minutes of normal time left.
But, as befit a dramatic game, we had to wait until stoppage time for Mark Rankine to bundle in from close range after Healy's shot was parried to force extra time.
Preston went closest to settling it in extra-time but Bennett saved a rising shot from Edwards and also did well to beat away an effort from Healy.
Then came amazing scenes prior to the penalty shoot-out when Birmingham manager Trevor Francis ordered his players to leave the field following an argument over which end of the pitch the penalties should be taken at.
Francis wanted them taken at the empty end of the ground where a new stand is being constructed. But police insisted the other end, in front of the Preston fans, had to be used for safety reasons.
Francis furiously remonstrated with the referee but eventually the players returned to the pitch and the penalties commenced.
But the outcome of the spotkicks made Francis even unhappier as the defeated Worthington Cup finalists missed out on a second trip to the Millennium Stadium this season, while David Moyes' men danced with joy in front of their fans.
PRESTON: Lucas, Alexander, Kidd, Murdock, Edwards, Gregan, Rankine, Cartwright, Anderson (McKenna 63), Healy, Macken (Cresswell 113). Subs Not Used: Moilanen, Barry-Murphy, Gunnlaugsson. Booked: Edwards, McKenna. Goals: Healy 24, Rankine 90.
BIRMINGHAM: Bennett, Grainger, Atherton (Lazaridis 46), Michael Johnson, Purse, Sonner, O'Connor (Hughes 81), McCarthy (Eaden 13), Woodhouse, Marcelo, Horsfield. Subs Not Used: Poole, Holdsworth. Booked: Woodhouse, Hughes, Horsfield. Goal: Horsfield 58.
Referee: P Danson (Leicester).
