And boss Alan Irvine was left wondering if half his side were already on their summer holidays as he watched the lacklustre display at Ashton Gate.

City were ahead after nine minutes and never looked in any danger of losing their lead for the rest of the afternoon.

The Robins, who now meet Crystal Palace in the end-of-season knockout starting on Saturday, were playing for home advantage and were consequently the hungrier of the two sides.

North End, safe in mid-table, had nothing to play for - and oh how it showed!

Trundle put City in front from close range and then played a simple one-two to tee up Michael McIndoe for the second in the 17th minute.

A curling free-kick by David Noble six minutes into the second half completed the scoring for the home side, although they had other chances to have further embarrassed their visitors.

After the final whistle the Preston players and staff were still given a standing ovation by a travelling army of 1,349 fans who had made the trip down the M5 to see the final game of the season.

And Matt Hill, who was making his first return to Ashton Gate since his move to Deepdale, was given a huge round of applause from the City fans all around the ground.

Despite the defeat Preston finished in 15th place in the Championship table, four places above rivals Blackpool.

Leicester City joined Scunthorpe and Colchester relegated to League One after being held to a goalless draw at Stoke.

Lee Trundle knocked in the first after keeper Andrew Lonergan was beaten to a punched clearance by the head of Louis Carey after just nine minutes.

And Michael McIndoe doubled the home side's advantage eight minutes later after a simple one-two with Trundle caught the visiting defence flat-footed.

It was hardly the start Alan Irvine had wanted even though the game was purely academic for Preston.

City, chasing home advantage in the play-offs, were understandably
the livelier of the two teams and could have gone in front a minute into the game.

Big striker Dele Adebola looked to have thundered through on goal,
but Neal Trotman showed his strength by muscling his way in
front and calmly heading back to Lonergan.

The opening goal came when Carey got up in front of Lonergan to head the ball on and, after a scramble in the Preston goalmouth Trundle was left with the simple task of knocking it over the line from close range.

After 17 minutes it was 2-0 and North End were looking in tatters.

McIndoe surged through the middle, laid the ball off to Trundle and then took the return before forcing a shot past Lonergan into the net.

Dele Adebola should have made it 3-0 three minutes later when a
left-wing chip found him with a clear header six yards out, but the ball spun off his head and wide of the far post.

Trundle was inches wide of the right-hand post with a shot on the
turn. And it was fully 26 minutes before Preston threatened at the
other end.

Richard Chaplow flicked the ball over two defenders and laid if off for
Lewis Neal to slice his shot inches over the top.

Neil Mellor was wide from 25 yards and then put North End's best chan ce of the first half past the post from barely six yards after strike partner Chris Brown had teed him up.

Preston came out for the second half looking more determined - no
doubt the result of a dressing room dressing down by boss Irvine.

But within six minutes they were even further behind. Sedgwick
tripped Trundle just inches outside the box on the left and Noble bent a beauty of a free-kick beyond Lonergan into the far corner.

Adebola missed another glorious chance to make it 4-0 and Irvine
responded by making a triple substitution in an effort of fire his
side into life.

On went Craig Beattie, Darren Carter and Simon Whaley and off
came Brown, Sedgwick and Neal.

North End very nearly pulled one back after 58 minutes when St
Ledger got into the six-yard box for a free-kick but somehow stabbed
his shot into the ground to see the ball bounce up and on to the top of
the crossbar.

Sean St Ledger was declared fit to return in the centre of the back-four following a hamstring injury. He came in to partner youngster Trotman, with the experienced Youl Mawene not even named among the substitutes.

One man who did make the bench was striker Craig Beattie on the last day of his injury-wrecked loan spell from West Brom.

Manager Irvine also went without a back-up goalkeeper in the dugout for the first time since taking over as manager, with Chris Neal joining Mawene in the stand.

North End travelled to Ashton Gate with nothing to play for other than to finish one place higher in mid-table. Yet Irvine insisted they would be treating the match with the same seriousness as any of the 45 others this season.

City boss Gary Johnson named an unchanged side to the one which lost 2-1 at Sheffield United last weekend.

Bristol City: Basso, Orr, Carey, McCombe, McAllister, Noble, Elliott, Carle, McIndoe, Trundle, Adebola.

Substitutes: Fontaine, Showunmi, Weale, Sproule, Johnson.

Preston North End: Lonergan, Hart, St Ledger, Trotman, Hill, Sedgwick, McKenna, Chaplow, L Neal, Brown, Mellor.

Substitutes: Beattie, Carter, Whaley, Davidson, Hawley.

Referee: Iain Williamson (Berkshire).