Bristol City 3-0 Preston North End
Adam Baker reports from Ashton Gate

City beat Preston North End 3-0 at Ashton Gate to earn a fourth-placed finish in their first season in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Lee Trundle enjoyed his best game in a City shirt and opened the scoring early on. Michael McIndoe and David Noble, with a superb free kick, added further efforts against a Lilywhites side who looked to have their summer holidays in the back of their minds.

For the visitors their season is over, but for City it continues on Saturday with a play-off semi-final first leg away at Crystal Palace. The return game will be at Ashton Gate on Tuesday week.

City fans left Ashton Gate singing "we're going to Wembley". And if Gary Johnson's repeat this performance in their two semi-final games with the Eagles then May 24th could be a special date to mark in the diary of any City supporter.

The opening goal came as early as the eighth minute. McIndoe's dinked free kick into the box was missed by Preston keeper Andy Lonergan six yards from his goal. A host of City players were lining up to prod in the loose ball and Trundle was there to claim his fifth goal of the campaign.

Richard Chaplow miskicked in front of goal moments later, but it proved only a brief foray into the opposition half for Preston, who were two down with 16 minutes gone.

McIndoe ran at the visiting defence and played an exquisite one-two with Trundle before passing the ball into the net under Lonergan, who made a poor attempt at a save.

City were rampant now, with Dele Adebola and Trundle both sending efforts just wide of the goal in quick succession.

Trundle in particular was enjoying himself and his tricks and turns left Matthew Hill clutching at his shirt tail, earning the ex-City defender a caution.

Preston rallied before half-time as chances came and went for Lewis Neal and Neil Mellor. The latter was guilty of a poor miss from six yards after Michael Hart's cross had been stabbed goalwards by Chris Brown.

Noble added to Preston's misery further six minutes after half-time, capitalising on Chris Sedwick's crude foul on Trundle on the edge of the box. The ex-Arsenal midfielder stepped up, cool as you like, to curl a beautiful effort beyond a static Lonergan - who could only watch and wave the ball goodbye.

Sean St Ledger hit the crossbar at the other end as his close range was saved by Basso, but City responded by hitting the woodwork themselves.

Trundle's curling 25-yard shot had the beating of Lonergan but clipped the top of the crossbar on its way into the Atyeo Stand.

The former Swansea striker went closer still on 66 minutes as McCombe's driven pass sent him galloping clear of the Preston defence. Trundle rounded Lonergan but didn't bargain for Hill, who had sprinted back to hook the forward's casual shot off the line.

Basso saved shots from Paul McKenna and Mellor in a quiet end to the game. By then City were already preparing themselves for two, possibly three more massive matches.