Preston shock Blues in shoot-out

Preston boss Moyes celebrates his side's win

Preston 2-1 Birmingham
(agg: 2-2; Preston win 4-2 on penalties)

Preston came through a dramatic penalty shoot-out to defeat Birmingham and reach the First Division play-off final.

Marcelo and Darren Purse missed Birmingham's first two penalties and Rob Edwards failed to convert for the home side before Paul McKenna scored the all-important penalty to send Preston through.

Preston had earlier levelled matters in the two-legged tie when David Healy cancelled out Nicky Eaden's goal from the first meeting.

  Key incidents

8: Lucas saves from McCarthy and Marcelo in quick succession

12: Macken tees up Healy, whose shot is straight at Bennett

16: Purse shoots high after Marcelo's knock-down

23: Healy drills in Preston's first

45: Marcelo turn and shot saved

50: Sonner heads against the crossbar

59: Horsfield puts the visitors ahead

78: Alexander misses a Preston penalty

92: Lazaridis angled shot rolls across Preston goal

92: Rankine scoes a late and dramatic equaliser

Extra-time

109: Bennett tips over a fierce Edwards long range shot

115: Healy turn and shot well saved by Bennett

Geoff Horsfield then struck in the second-half to restore the visitors' advantage and it seemed Preston's cause was doomed when Graham Alexander missed a late penalty to equalise.

But David Moyes' side refused to give up and reaped their reward when Mark Rankine scored a dramatic late equaliser to take the game into extra-time.

Blues keeper Ian Bennett twice pulled off crucial saves to deny Edwards and Healy before the game went to penalties.

Angry Birmingham boss Trevor Francis did not help his team's nerves when he ordered his players to pitch-side before they returned to the centre circle.

The visitors lost on penalties in the Worthington Cup final and their spot-kick misery was compounded as they lost in similar circumstances again.

Francis endures more play-off misery

And they were left ruing several missed opportunities in normal time to put the tie out of Preston's reach.

In the eighth minute, Jon McCarthy's persistence was almost rewarded.

He chased what seemed a lost cause and tried to divert the ball past Lucas, but the keeper parried and reacted well to get an outstretched leg to Marcelo's shot from the rebound.

The fall-out from the move saw Birmingham's injury jinx strike again when McCarthy, who has only recently returned from a lengthy lay-off, was forced off injured.

Preston responded to the early scares by carving open an excellent opening when Jonathan Macken crossed low for fellow striker Healy.

He seemed offside but no flag was waved and it was Birmingham's chance to breath a sigh of relief when Healy's shot was straight at Bennett.

Sonner, yellow, hit the bar but Rankine scored

Martin Grainger then appeared to handle the ball as he tried to clear a Preston throw-in, but Healy made any appeals irrelevant by powering an angled shot high into the visitors' net.

Marcelo's turn and shot was saved by a well-positioned Lucas before Danny Sonner headed against the crossbar from a Stan Lazaridis cross.

Lazaridis had come on at half-time and was a constant thorn down Preston's left side.

Just when the visitors might have been wondering about their play-off curse, Lazaridis' 59th minute cross was missed by Marcelo.

But his strike partner Horsfield arrived at the far post to steer the ball past Lucas.

With an extra confidence about their play, Birmingham almost put the tie beyond Preston's reach shortly afterwards.

Horsfield's goal was not enough

Marcelo's header from a Grainger corner struck Lucas, who manged to get a hand to stop Horsfield nodding in the rebound.

Preston thought they had pulled level when they were awarded a penalty after Sonner's hand-ball.

But Alexander's spot-kick rattled the crossbar.

However, just when the visitors finally thought they had made it, Preston equalised.

An acutely-angled Lazaridis shot rolled across the home goal-line and Preston immediately went up the other end and scored.

Healy's shot was only parried by Bennett and industrious midfielder Rankine, who looked offside earlier in his run, slotted home the loose ball.

Preston then went on to win and picked the perfect occasion to score their first victory against Birmingham this season after three previous defeats.

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Preston: Lucas, Alexander, Kidd, Murdock, Edwards, Gregan, Rankine, Cartwright, Anderson, Healy, Macken. Subs: Moilanen, Barry-Murphy, McKenna, Gunnlaugsson, Cresswell.

Birmingham: Bennett, Grainger, Atherton, Michael Johnson, Purse, Sonner, O'Connor, McCarthy, Woodhouse, Marcelo, Horsfield. Subs: Poole, Eaden, Holdsworth, Lazaridis, Hughes.

Referee: P Danson (Leicester)