Preston North End 2-2 Bristol City RECAP as visitors avoid relegation and hosts secure play-offs

Preston North End secured survival and Bristol City booked their play-off place, with a 2-2 draw on the final day of the season at Ashton Gate.

The Robins’ home was a picture in the Bristol sunshine and boomed with noise pre-match - a play-off place the target for Liam Manning’s men, who started the day in fifth. PNE had their own big business to take care of, though, having plummeted into a final day relegation dogfight with Hull, Luton, Derby and Stoke. Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom made one change to his starting XI with Ryan Ledson replacing Stefan Thordarson; bite would be needed from the off, and the No.18 perhaps only had an hour or so in the tank.

With news of Hull taking the lead at Fratton Park and it one apiece between West Brom and Luton, nerves certainly started to swirl. On the pitch, though, Preston were more than holding their own - giving Bristol City little encouragement and quietening the fired up home faithful. Just before the half-hour mark, North End’s grit and concentration was rewarded when - at last - a corner resulted in the opening goal. Robbie Brady’s delivery, as ever, was on the money and Emil Riis, likely playing his last game for PNE, headed home.

North End’s day was going about as well as you could’ve hoped at the interval and it got a whole lot better on the hour. Ben Whiteman threaded a defence splitting pass through to Milutin Osmajic, who took the ball in his stride and rolled the ball under the on rushing max O’Leary. The Robins looked gone at that stage and with West Brom putting Luton to the sword - and Portsmouth level with Hull - Heckingbottom’s side had one hand on survival.

Bristol City, mind, still had time on side and hope was restored for them on 69 minutes. A looping cross to the back post caught North End out and Ross McCrorie arrived to bullet home with his head. As secure and solid as Preston had looked all afternoon, in-game adversity is not something they have dealt particularly well with over the course of the campaign. Ashton Gate was alive once again and just five minutes later, McCrorie sent the decibels soaring up another notch with his second of the game.

PNE XI: Cornell; Storey, Lindsay, Gibson, Kesler-Hayden, Whiteman (c), Ledson (Thordarson 72’), Brady (Evans 84’), Hughes, Riis, Osmajic (Greenwood 78’) PNE unused subs: Stowell; Porteous, Meghoma, Bauer, T. Mawene.