Preston North End 0 - 2 Leeds United

Preston 0-2 Leeds

Updated: May 8, 2006, 10:15 PM UK

Nine-man Leeds are just one win away from ending their two-year exile from the Premiership after two goals in the space of four minutes from Rob Hulse and Frazer Richardson settled their play-off semi-final with Preston 2-0.

With the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Friday, North End enjoyed the better of the first half but Leeds' double strike just before the hour put them into the Championship play-off final against Watford or Crystal Palace a week on Sunday.

United, who had six other players cautioned, had defender Stephen Crainey and Richard Cresswell both sent off for two yellow cards.

But despite North End's Tyrone Mears having a goal chalked off, the hosts could not get back into the game.

• Blackwell hits out at 'rabbit' ref

It was a bitter contest which included a power failure at half-time, second-half crowd trouble and a number of melees involving the two sets of players.

But exactly five years since they reached a Champions League semi-final against Valencia, United took a major step back towards the top flight.

With the tie so finely poised after the first leg, Preston boss Billy Davies tried to grab the initiative with an offensive line-up that included four strikers, while Leeds initially looked content to contain.

North End started on the front foot, with midfielder Brian O'Neil drilling just wide with just over a minute gone.

However, Preston suffered a blow after nine minutes when bustling striker Brett Ormerod was stretchered off after lengthy treatment following a challenge from Jonathan Douglas, with reports later suggesting he had a suspected broken leg.

As Preston took time to adjust to their new shape following the introduction of substitute Simon Whaley the game grew scrappy and the two sides needed little encouragement for the niggles to start.

It took almost half of the first period for there to be a shot on target but North End goalkeeper Carlo Nash had to be at full-stretch to hold Richardson's powerful half-volley from just outside the area.

Almost immediately at the other end a Graham Alexander corner was headed back across goal by O'Neil but Danny Dichio failed to make sufficient contact with his own header to trouble Neil Sullivan.

Six minutes before the interval, Mears found space on the right flank and crossed for Dichio but the big striker was guilty of a bad miss as his header flew wide.

As the whistle for half-time went, the ground was plunged into semi-darkness due to a power failure in the area around Deepdale.

The floodlights eventually came back on and the second half kicked off 33 minutes later.

Leeds started the second period with more purpose and a Richardson cross sparked panic in the Preston box before the ball was hooked clear by Claude Davis.

Leeds were starting to push their hosts further and further back and they broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the break.

From Kelly's corner, Hulse's run was not tracked and he made no mistake to thump a header past Nash.

And Richardson looked to have put the tie beyond Preston's reach with a second goal four minutes later.

From a spell of pressure down Leeds' left, Liam Miller fed Hulse, who put the ball through a defender's legs and picked out Richardson at the far post for the midfielder to sneak the ball past Nash despite the goalkeeper getting hands to it.

Crainey had been booked just before the hour for kicking the ball away and he saw red in the 68th minute for tripping David Nugent as the striker headed towards the box.

Sullivan pushed Paul McKenna's resulting free-kick just wide but despite enjoying a numerical advantage, Preston were too frantic and the visitors were able to cope with what was thrown at them.

Sullivan tipped a Dichio header over and despite Mears heading the resulting set-piece past Sullivan, the referee ruled Alexander's corner had curled out of play.

Even though Cresswell was booked for a second time for kicking the ball away, the visitors held on for six minutes of added time to book their place in Cardiff.

Blackwell hits out at 'rabbit' ref

Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell was relieved to make the Coca-Cola Championship final despite describing referee Mike Thorpe as 'a rabbit in car headlights'.

Blackwell was left fuming at the performance of Phil Crossley following Friday's 1-1 first-leg draw with Preston at Elland Road.

Thorpe's display was certainly no better, with the Northamptonshire official booking six players and dismissing Stephen Crainey and Richard Cresswell for two bookable offences.

Both players will now miss the final in Cardiff - against either Watford or Crystal Palace - on May 21, although it is understood Thorpe will look at the second caution he issued to Crainey.

Fortunately for Blackwell Leeds managed to overcome the fact they finished the game with nine men, scoring both their goals in the space of five second-half minutes through Rob Hulse and Frazer Richardson prior to the two dismissals.

All that had followed a power cut in the Preston area which meant the start of the second half was delayed by 18 minutes after the lights had gone out just as the players left the pitch at the end of the first period at Deepdale.

'It was a game that had everything,' explained Blackwell.

'There was a power cut, delays, tackles, goals disallowed, bookings and a referee that seemed to lose his way right at the end.

'I wasn't sure we would have any players left on the pitch the way he was going on.

'I was very sceptical about the two refereeing appointments made for this semi-final, and I made my feelings known to the powers that be at the time.

'These games are too big for these kinds of officials. For all the teams in the playoff, these are £40million pound games.

'I don't understand why we should have a rabbit in car headlights refereeing a game like this, but that's exactly how it ended up.

'He could well have denied two players a massive opportunity to play in the final with his display.

'I will have to have a look at the bookings and think about appealing.'

Blackwell, though, was delighted with the display of his players as they overcame all the hurdles put in front of them.

It is believed that one of the motivating factors was a newspaper headline pinned up on the United dressing room wall that read `Davies: Job Done'.

'I have to say the players showed tremendous tenacity,' added Blackwell.

'The lads gave me everything and I am very proud of them.

'Preston were jumping up and down at Elland Road thinking they were in the final, but we came here to prove otherwise.'

Preston not only lost this game, but they suffered two bad injuries, with striker Brett Ormerod suffering a fractured tibia and goalkeeper Carlo Nash a fractured cheekbone.

Davies, though, maintained his dignity after the match and refused to blame referee Thorpe and his linesman for the defeat.

Preston had a goal disallowed in the 81st minute when a corner was deemed to have crossed the byline before Tyrone Mears headed home.

That ultimately knocked the wind out of Preston's sails, with Davies stating: 'I'm very proud and pleased with the efforts with my players this season.

'It has been a tremendous effort, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.

'We have now tasted defeat in a play-off final (last season) and now defeat in a semi-final, but these last two seasons have been nothing short of tremendous for us.

'We can sit back and make excuses about events in this game, but at the end of the day the first goal was crucial, conceding it to a set-piece.

'We had one or two half-chances after that but it wasn't our night and I wish Leeds all the best.

'We will now go away for a well-earned break, dust ourselves down and come back again next season.'