Sides deadlocked in play-off interval

Leeds 0 Preston 0

Leeds failed to penetrate a resolute Preston rearguard in the opening period of the first leg of the Coca-Cola Championship play-off semi-final at Elland Road.

Kevin Blackwell’s men enjoyed the majority of possession and fashioned the better openings but Preston held firm to remain level at the break.

Leeds boss Blackwell made seven changes from the side which lost 2-0 at Deepdale on the final day of the season.

Former Preston striker Richard Cresswell was a shock inclusion among the Leeds substitutes after being sidelined since February with damaged knee ligaments.

Preston were buoyed by the return to their starting XI of highly-rated striker David Nugent who came into the side for his first start since March 14.

That match saw Nugent score twice in a 3-1 win over Ipswich but the striker, who turned 21 on Tuesday, later broke a metatarsal bone and was stretchered off.

However, he took just under seven weeks to return to fitness and having made a five-minute appearance off the bench against Leeds last week, Nugent returned to form an adventurous three-pronged attack alongside Danny Dichio and Brett Ormerod.

The kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes after traffic congestion on the M62 delayed the arrival of some 4,900 Preston fans.

Leeds boss Blackwell had built the game up by describing it as the club’s most significant since the 2001 Champions League semi-final against Valencia.

And the atmosphere was certainly reminiscent of that brief but brilliant era as Leeds, inspired by a huge, raucous crowd, forced a succession of early corners.

Yet it was Preston, who arrived at Elland Road on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run, who produced the first noteworthy goalscoring opportunity after seven minutes.

Skipper Graham Alexander’s clever quick free-kick from the right found Nugent unmarked but the young Liverpudlian could only blaze wildly over the bar from just 12 yards.

In Eddie Lewis, David Healy and Sean Gregan, Leeds had three players lining up against their erstwhile employers, with a fourth on the bench in Cresswell.

And they began to up the tempo as the half wore on and defender Matthew Kilgallon was desperately unlucky to see his far-post header rebound off a post after connecting superbly with Lewis’ right-wing corner.

Healy saw a 20-yard free-kick blocked by the wall after 35 minutes following Claude Davis’ clumsy foul on Lewis.

And two minutes before the break Leeds went agonisingly close when Liam Miller looked set to deflect in Rob Hulse’s header but for goalkeeper Carlo Nash’s crucial intervention.

Seconds later Healy delivered a brilliant right-wing cross but Paul McKenna’s vital interception averted the danger.