Preston North End's wait for a return to the top flight goes on after Greg Halford's second half goal, meaning that it will be Sheffield United running out at Wembley in a few weeks time, and not North End.

It certainly wasn't for trying though as PNE pressed relentlessly in the second half with a clearance of the line from Brian Howard the closest North End came to extending the tie further.

Sheffield United were impressively marshalled by a well-organised defence and in the end they held out in the face of a determined PNE effort.

Darren Carter, Neil Mellor and Sean St. Ledger all almost restored hope to an impassioned away following but their efforts were in vain as United held out for the all-important win.

The more likely side to score for the first two thirds of the game, the Blades' took the lead when the impressive Kyle Walker provided a pinpoint cross for Greg Halford to head past Andy Lonergan from ten yards.

The goal sparked the aforementioned onslaught on the United goal but even though PNE had four men up front in the last ten minutes they couldn's salvage something from a determined performance.

North End manager Alan Irvine had made two changes from the eleven that drew on Friday, switching Chris Brown for Neil Mellor, creating a partnership with Jon Parkin, their first start together since the 1-0 win over Norwich City on February 14th.

Barry Nicholson was the other alteration to Alan Irvine's first leg eleven, replacing Darren Carter in the centre of midfield for his first appearance from the first whistle for a couple of months, Coventry City at home his last start for PNE.

4-4-2 has been the formation of choice for PNE this season but Irvine started with a 4-3-1-2 to match the 4-3-3 of United, Nicholson, Paul McKenna and Chris Sedgwick the three and Ross Wallace the man in the hole.

Alan Irvine would have drawn encouragement from opposite number Kevin Blackwell's line-up with Jamie Ward and Darius Henderson not featuring in the Blades' sixteen due to injury, David Cotterill and Craig Beattie started in a 4-3-3 formation which matched the first leg.

A vociferous home support offered great hope to the red and whites but they were matched by a sold out away end which backed the all yellow PNE players with bananas, lilos, yellow clappers and other paraphrenalia of a yellow persuasion.

The opening ten minutes were understandably tentative for a match of such magnitude, Brian Howard's shot in the third minute from twenty yards the only on target shot. Fortunately for North End Andy Lonergan was equal to the threat and collected easily.

Sheffield United's main outlet was teenager Kyle Naughton, the young left midfielder looping in a couple of dangerous crosses which were either caught by Lonergan or ran free for a goalkick.

North End had to withstand numerous spells of pressure, none more so than on the quarter hour mark when Barry Nicholson and Eddie Nolan had to throw themselves to the floor to block shots from Beattie and Howard respectively.

In the face of an exceptionally loud Bramall Lane crowd, PNE found it hard to establish themselves but on eighteen minutes a clever Chris Brown knockdown released Nicholson and the Scot unleashed a low hit from twenty five yards but it wasn't low enough to force Kenny into a save but it was encouraging nevertheless.

The twenty second minute saw PNE have their second shot on goal, albeit from a dead ball situation. Chris Brown was hauled down thirty yards from goal, giving Wallace the chance to emulate his incredible Birmingham City freekick. Standing over the ball he looked to equal that memorable effort but the wall did its job and the chance had gone.

The Yorkshire outfit continued to pepper Lonergan's goal, and with good reason, the PNE number one was looking dizzy after an earlier clash of heads and was given repeated treatment throughout the first half. Greg Halford's effort on the twenty five minute mark was particularly dangerous, arrowing wide and over after good work from Kyle Walker.

With the magic half hour approaching, the crowd began to quieten down and it was up to self-confessed Wednesday fan Sedgwick to give hope to PNE.

Eddie Nolan released a throw and the wily winger let it run by him and, looking to bang in his second of the season, he released a brilliant right-footed half volley which had Kenny at full stretch but it went inches over, notice was served was North End's threat though.

PNE had Youl Mawene to thank shortly after that with a goal-saving interception at the other end. A dangerous ball to Lonergan's back stick looked destined for former Celtic and WBA man Beattie but the Frenchman leaped between the goalie and the striker and flicked it away for a corner.

The game was close to teetering out of control minutes before half-time with a couple of tasty challenges from Wallace, Chris Morgan and Parkin riling both sets of supporters.

Scotland B international Wallace received a booking for a lunging slide on Morgan in the corner and at the other end following a United corner, TV replays appeared to indicate that the United skipper stamped on Mawene but no card was shown.

The major talking point arrived though when Parkin and Halford collided metres inside the Blades' half. The PNE player of the year's foot was too high and thankfully for all connected with North End he only got a North End shirt-coloured card for the challenge.

The Blades finished the half with a glaring miss from Greg Halford, to the relief of North End, the dangerous David Cotterill's ball was too hard for the loanee at Lonergan's back post and a goal was averted.

Neither manager made any substitutions during the half-time interval but Blackwell would have been wondering how Beattie managed to miss from eighteen yards after neat interplay between himself and Halford, his shot going centimetres wide of Lonergan's left post.

Respite for PNE was hard to find as the Blades started the second period stronger, boosted by an ear-splitting home support, and it took a cracking save from Lonergan to deny Beattie again. Montgomery's deep cross was met well by the Scot but the Preston-born keeper's outstretched hand stopped him.

But the pressure was too much for PNE come the fifty-nineth minute, Kyle Walker supplying a pinpoint cross, Halford rose and nodded into Lonergan's far corner to the delight of the home support.

North End responded well though with Jon Parkin the chief threat, bringing down a long Mawene free kick and forcing Kenny into a sprawling save which but for the interception of Walker would have fell to Wallace in front of goal.

Billy Jones was the next to try to equalise for the Lancastrians, edging forward and firing in a long shot which had the Blades' number one worried but it went wide of his post. Craig Beattie really should have put the tie to bed moments later but Andy Lonergan and the PNE defence ensured that he couldn't with stout defending in the eighteen yard box.

Manager Alan Irvine rung the chances in an attempt to rescue PNE's Play-Off hopes, Stephen Elliott, Neil Mellor and Darren Carter replacing Brown, Sedgwick and Nicholson as PNE went for broke. The tactic resulted in wave after wave pressure from North End as well with an Eddie Nolan cross evading Darren Carter when he looked certain to score and former Sunderland man Elliott going close with a deflected shot which led to a corner.

The resulting set-piece saw PNE have their best chance to equalise, a Ross Wallace swinger wasn't cleared by the Blades defence and with the goal beckoning Jones shot from eight yards but Brian Howard was there to save the Yorkshiremen.

By the seventy-fifth minute the game really was end to end in nature and Alan Quinn and Brian Howard combined well on the left flank but Lonergan parried the former Barnsley midfielder's shot and it was still on for North End.

The counter attack was where PNE were looking to succeed and a couple of minutes after the Blades' chance the two subs Elliott and Mellor combined but a lunging challenge from Kyle Walker prevented the former Liverpool striker from capitalising on his cross.

Sean St. Ledger was pushed forward by Alan Irvine has North End adopted a 4-2-4 formation to earn something from the game and he almost had the chance to reinforce his hero status at North End from a Darren Carter cross with ten minutes remaining, unfortunately for the 2008 player of the year he was unaware of Carter's cross and the ball caught him unawares and he couldn't convert.

Carter's encouraging presence on the field created another opening a few minutes later when he wriggled free of his marker eighteen yards from goal but his effort went yards over.

The dying moments saw PNE throw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Blades' defence but the ball just wouldn't fall for the strikers and with the final whistle sounding amid a cacophony of noise, North End's hopes of a first season in the top flight since 1960/61 went for another year.

PNE: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St. Ledger, Nolan, Sedgwick, McKenna, Nicholson, Wallace, Parkin, Brown. Subs: Neal, Elliott (For Brown), Mellor (For Sedgwick), Carter (For Nicholson, Chilvers.
Sheffield United: Kenny, Walker, Morgan, Kilgallon, Naughton, Montgomery, Quinne, Howard, Halford, Cotterill, Beattie. Subs: Lupoli, Webber, Hendrie, Sharp, Bromby (For Halford)