Preston North End 2 Birmingham City 0 - Victory for the Lilywhites but their play-off hopes are dashed

Cardiff's 3-1 win at Middlesbrough means the Lilywhites cannot catch the sixth-placed Bluebirds so it is Championship football again next season.

This was a deserved win over Birmingham who could still be relegated.

North End had the better of the play, although Declan Rudd made two fine saves early in the second half with the scoreline 1-0 at the time.

Bauer gave the hosts a 43rd minute lead, guiding home a side-foot finish on the half-volley from a Paul Gallagher corner.

It was a slender advantage which was increased three minutes from time, Potts seizing on a half clearance to run into the box and finish impressively.

Unfortunately as far as PNE's top-six hopes were concerned, it was too little, too late.

Getting above Cardiff was always going to be a tall order, requiring two wins and the Welsh side to lose both of their remaining games.

Preston would have hoped to take things into the final game at Bristol City on Wednesday night but now that will be something of a dead rubber with only pride to play for.

Neil had once shuffled the pack, making four changes from the side which started last Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at Brentford.

Potts, Josh Harrop, Paul Gallagher, and Jayden Stockley returned, taking the places of Alan Browne, Tom Barkhuizen, Darnell Fisher and Sean Maguire who were on the bench.

There was another switch of formation, back to the 4-2-3-1 from the 3-5-2 used at Brentford.

Before kick-off there was a minute's applause in memory of former PNE and Manchester United centre-forward Alex Dawson who passed away on Friday, aged 80.

North End should have taken the lead in the ninth minute as Daniel Johnson's smart pass released Stockley behind the Birmingham back line in the box but the striker took his shot early and lifted it over the bar.

Harrop went down in the box soon after that, producing a loud shout for a penalty but referee Stephen Martin waved play on.

In the last action before the first-half drinks break, Birmingham's Gary Gardner met a corner at the near and post and sent a header into the side-netting.

Gallagher was a whisker away from finding the net in the 33rd minute, his free-kick from 25 yards clearing the wall and travelling inches over the angle of bar and post.

North End made the break through two minutes before half-time.

Gallagher sent over a corner from the right which dropped over a crowd of players and landed at the feet of Bauer who dispatched a well-taken half-volley into the net from nine yards.

Another set piece almost produced a second goal three minutes into first-half stoppage time.

Again it was taken by Gallagher, this time Stockley meeting it with a thumping header which was a bit too close to Camp who produced a good reaction save to push it out.

Four minutes after the restart it took a superb save from Rudd to keep PNE's lead intact.

Gardner's well-struck volley from the edge of the box was heading for the far top corner until Rudd sprang backwards to tip it over the bar.

Rudd was at it again in the 53rd minute, diving to parry Harlee Dean's close-range header - the Blues skipper having been left unattended in the middle when the ball came over from the right.

North End worked the keeper at the other end when Harrop chased a pass to the byline and pulled it back into the middle, the ball slightly behind Stockley who still got in a header but put too close to Camp who saved.

Harrop tested Camp with a shot from outside the box, while the industrious Ryan Ledson sent a low effort curling well wide of the far post.

A double substitution in the 78th minute saw Maguire and Barkhuizen replace Harrop and Johnson.

The subs went either side of Stockley, with Potts moving inside to play the attacking midfield role.

Barkhuizen's first involvement was to collect a lay-off from Maguire and send over a cross which Stockley headed straight at Camp.

North End sealed the three points in the 87th minute with their second goal.

A long ball forward saw Mark Roberts and Maguire challenge in the air, Roberts' clearing header falling to Potts.

The midfielder drove into the box and hit a low left-foot shot across goal into the far bottom corner.

PNE: Rudd, Rafferty, Bauer, Storey, Hughes, Ledson, Gallagher, Potts, Johnson (Barkhuizen 78), Harrop (Maguire 78), Stockley. Subs (not used): Fisher, Browne, Huntington, Sinclair, Nugent, Bodin, Hudson.

Birmingham: Camp, Colin, Dean, Roberts, Pedersen, Crowley (Boyd-Munce 71), Gardner, Sunjic (Bela 61), Bellingham, Jutkiewicz, Hogan (Reid 82). Subs (not used): Harding, Kieftenbeld, Fernandez, Burke, Gordon, Trueman.

Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire)