Promotion play-off/Preston - 0 Leeds - 2: When a power cut briefly plunged Deepdale into darkness last night it was possibly an omen the lights were about to go out on Preston's season. Sure enough goals from Rob Hulse and Frazer Richardson propelled Leeds towards Cardiff where Kevin Blackwell's side will meet Crystal Palace or, more probably, Watford.
A strong referee will be required after this acrimonious encounter in which Leeds' Stephen Crainey and Richard Cresswell were sent off in the second half and Preston's Brett Ormerod broke a leg after a horribly late tackle from Jonathan Douglas. Incredibly, the Leeds midfielder escaped without so much as a talking-to.
Preston should have been ahead by half-time but the unmarked Dichio somehow flashed a header wide of an upright after connecting with Tyrone Mears's right-wing cross.
There was no question Nugent was the most menacing forward but when Matthew Kilgallon pulled him back his angry reaction required his team-mates to intervene to separate the feuding pair before both were booked.
With so much at stake that cameo probably served as an accurate barometer of the rising tensions and Thorpe was probably relieved to blow his whistle for half-time when, with uncanny symmetry, a power cut prompted floodlight failure.
With three sides of the ground, all four floodlights and several surrounding streets suddenly lacking power, the match was in danger of being abandoned. But the fault was repaired and the second half began 30 minutes behind schedule.
Leeds recovered better from what must have been a hugely frustrating hiatus and took the lead when Hulse lost his marker at a corner before meeting Gary Kelly's delivery and powering a header past Nash.
It was not long before Nash was picking the ball out of his net again after it squirmed through his hands just as he appeared to have saved Richardson's close-range shot on the line. Richardson had reacted with alacrity to apply the finishing touch to the loose ball after Hulses's original shot was only partially cleared.
Stunned, Preston were offered a glimmer of hope when Stephen Crainey was sent off for his second yellow-card offence in the space of eight minutes, the Leeds left-back trudging off after an unwise hack at Nugent. Paul McKenna's ensuing free-kick looked destined for the top corner but was tipped over.
Preston thought they had pulled a goal back when Mears headed beyond Sullivan but officials disallowed it because Graham Alexander's corner had gone out of play.
Guardian Service
PRESTON: Nash, Mears, Davis, Alexander, Mawene, Ormerod (Whaley 10), O'Neil, McKenna, Stewart (Agyemang 45), Nugent, Dichio. Subs not used: Ward, Sedgwick, Wilson. Booked: Nugent.
LEEDS: Sullivan, Kelly, Gregan, Kilgallon, Crainey, Richardson, Derry, Miller, Douglas, Lewis (Stone 88), Hulse (Cresswell 78). Subs Not Used: Healy, Bakke, Blake. Sent off: Crainey (68), Cresswell (90). Booked: Derry, Kilgallon, Gregan, Crainey, Miller, Cresswell, Kelly, Douglas. Goals: Hulse 56, Richardson 61.
Referee: M Thorpe (Suffolk).
