Preston North End brought their 2007/08 campaign to a close with a disappointing defeat at promotion chasing Bristol City.

Safety was assured weeks ago with a draw in the West Country but a return to the South West was a forgettable affair with the Lilywhites producing one of their poorest performances under Alan Irvine to end the season on a low note.

It was perhaps one match too far for a North End side who have put in a sterling effort over the second half the season to ensure that a final-day nailbiter was nowhere near the agenda. If the players had one eye on a summer break then they will now get the opportunity to recharge their batteries in readyness for Alan Irvine's first full season in charge of the Lilywhites.

It was only eight minutes into the match before Bristol took the lead. Michael McIndoe clipped a ball into the box and Lonergan tried to find his way through a scrum of bodies to collect the ball, he could only get a fist to the ball and he sent the ball up into the air and over his right shoulder, the Bristol players swarmed and Louis Carey nodded the ball towards the empty net before Lee Trundle made sure by poking the ball home.

It was a goal that shook North End but they recovered quite quickly, Neal Trotman should probably have done better when getting his head to the ball 12 yards out and then both Mellor and Chaplow had chances on the volley, neither player really connected with the ball to trouble keeper Adriano Basso.

Those were chances that Alan Irvine's side were left to rue as in the 17th minute Trundle and McIndoe carved the PNE defence open to grab the second goal of the game. The pair swapped passes on the edge of the North End box and Trundle's ball back to McIndoe found the former Doncaster man with only Lonergan to beat 12-yards out. Lonergan got a hand to the ball but he could not stop the ball from crossing the line.

Trundle was on top form and clearly enjoying his football. He created a chance and made a chance of his own twenty minutes in. Firstly tricking his way into the box on the left, getting beyond St. Ledger and dinking a ball into the six-yard box that Adebola did well to get a powerful header to, it was just wide. Seconds later Trundle found himself on the other side of the box and hit a snap-shot from 20-yards out that flew just wide of Lonergan's left-hand post.

Lewis Neal tried to drag PNE back into the game in the 26th minute when he received the ball in the left channel after good work from Chaplow had created the space. Neal's shot looked to be on target but it sliced just over the crossbar.

Mellor was next to have a chance as he ran onto a Chris Brown flick-on and challenged Basso for a 50-50 airborne ball, the two players collided, the ball was the meat in the sandwich but with both players on the ground the ball ran free and there was nobody there to smash the ball home.

Mellor was getting nearer to the target and in the 33rd minute he outmuscled Louis Carey to get a yard or so clear and he let rip with a low effort that looked to have Basso beaten but it went just inches wide.

Again Mellor was the nearest to breaking the deadlock for North End four minutes before the break. It came after Michael Hart had done well down the right to clip a ball towards Chris Brown, his first time shot looked to be going wide of the far post but Mellor redirected the ball in the other direction, again it flew inches wide of the post.

Neither side made any changes at the break but five minutes into the second period the Robins were chirping yet again, this time the goal was a wonderful curled free-kick from the left of the box by David Noble.

Thirteen minutes into the second half and Alan Irvine made a triple substitution. Darren Carter, Simon Whaley and Craig Beattie were sent into the fray in place of Chris Sedgwick, Chris Brown and Lewis Neal. The injection of new blood almost helped Preston grab a goal back. Darren Carter knocked a free-kick in from the left and Neal Trotman did well to lose his marker and he nodded the ball into the path of St. Ledger who eight yards out had a shot that blocked up and over the keeper but the ball bounced on top of the crossbar instead of dropping into the back of the net.

Trundle had another spell of terrorising the North End defence on the hour mark. Firstly he picked up the ball in the right channel, had a little run at the PNE back before hitting a curling shot from 22-yards out that looked to have Lonergan beaten but it clipped the top of the crossbar. Moments later and Trundle beat the PNE offside trap and was clear on goal with only Andy Lonergan to beat, he waltzed past the keeper and looked to have the easiest of tap-ins but as the ball rolled towards goal Matt Hill appeared from nowhere to clear the ball away for a corner.

It was the last action of note in a match which became increasingly tame, PNE realising that time was against them to find any meaningful way back into the game while Bristol looked to save themselves for an all-important Play-Off campaign starting at Crystal Palace next weekend. PNE's players can finally put to bed what has been an enduring season, one perhaps with time they might want to forget.