Healy - 33

                             Horsfield - 57

   Rankin - 89

2 - 2 on agg. after extra time, Blues lose 2 - 4 on penalties.

At Deepdale

17th May 2001

Att: 16,928

Paul McKenna scored the winning spot-kick after Graham Alexander, David Healy and Sean Gregan had all converted from the spot.

Rob Edwards had missed his but early failures from Birmingham pair Marcelo and Darren Purse meant it the dream again died for Birmingham in the play-off for the third successive year.

Even successful kicks from Stan Lazaridis and Nicky Eaden could not prevent their elimination and, as two years ago against Watford, they lost a play-off semi-final in a penalty shoot-out.

However there were amazing scenes preceeding the shoot-out when Birmingham manager Trevor Francis ordered his players to leave the field following a dispute over which end of the pitch the penalties should be taken.

Referee Paul Danson indicated they were to take place at the Bill Shankly Kop end, which was full of home fans, instead of where the old Town End used to be situated, which was demolished towards the end of the season and is now derelict.

Francis furiously remonstrated with the referee but eventually the players returned to the pitch where 
Preston kept their nerve to book their place in the Cardiff final.

Once again the play-off's proved to be the formula for both agony and ecstacy.

Mark Rankine dramatically hammered home from close range in the 90th minute to bring Birmingham to their knees as he cancelled out their overall advantage and sent the game into extra-time after Healy's shot had been palmed out. 

Preston had showed commendable spirit but it was Birmingham who looked to be cruising to a cathartic final appearance in Cardiff just moments before the end of normal time as they counter-attacked competently until former Wolves star Rankine fired home.

The Blues started the better side, too, but fell behind after 23 minutes. Healy's instinctive strike levelled the tie when the Northern Ireland international scored with a superb dipping volley which beat Bennett after the visitors had failed to clear from a throw-in.

Preston keeper Lucas ablocked well to save a shot from Marcelo after halting winger Jon McCarthy, was later replaced by Nicky Eaden after going off injured, as the Birmingham player closed in on goal.

Birmingham midfielder Curtis Woodhouse tested Lucas with a volley and Horsfield also tried a long-range effort, as did Marcelo when he turned in the area to hit a low drive that was comfortably saved.

Birmingham brought on left winger Stan Lazaridis at the start of the second half and the Australian international made all the difference as the visitors went ahead in the tie for the second time on aggregate with a goal from Horsfield.

Lazaridis provided a cross which midfielder Danny Sonner headed onto the top of the crossbar after 50 minutes but the ball went out for a goal kick.

But eight minutes later Lazaridis swung over another cross from the left which was missed by Ryan Kidd and Horsfield got in front of the defender to fire past Lucas and cancel out Healy's goal from the first half.

Preston could have been back in the game when they were awarded a penalty for handball by Sonner, but Alexander hit the spot-kick against the bar.

Birmingham nearly secured the tie in stoppage time when Lazaridis went round Lucas, but saw his shot roll tantalisingly across the face of goal from a narrow angle.

And the Australian was made to pay when the home side levelled the tie on aggregate in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time when Rankine slammed Healy's saved shot home. It was a goal that had amazing consequences.

The penalties (Preston North End   taker first)

0-1 Alexandre scores
0-1 Marcelo misses
0-2 Healy scores
0-2 Purse misses
0-3 Gregan scores
1-3 Lazaridis scores
1-3 Edwards misses
2-3 Eaden scores
2-4 McKenna scores