Leicester City 0 Preston North End 1: Simpson happy for Preston to keep plodding upwards

The jubilation of Preston North End's travelling supporters at the end of the match on Saturday suggests they may think promotion to the Premiership is assured. However, they should look at the example of the faltering Cardiff City; in the Championship, nothing is certain.

Cardiff stumbled yet again against Queen's Park Rangers on Friday night while Preston, whose hard-fought victory at the Walkers Stadium brought them level on points with the Welsh team, continue to notch up wins.

Carlo Nash, the Preston goalkeeper, was a part of the Preston side that lost out in the Championship play-off semi-final to Leeds United in May. For him and his team-mates, it will be some time before they even start thinking about turning out in the Premiership.

"The players have got their feet planted firmly on the ground," said Nash. "The signs are good. We have put in a lot of hard work to get to where we are and obviously we have to continue that until the end of the season. But we don't want to get involved in the play-offs yet again."

The striker Patrick Agyemang scored Preston's winner after 15 minutes. Rob Kelly, the Leicester City manager, conceded that his side did not deserve to take anything from the game. His opposite number, Paul Simpson, made no such admission, but Preston were equally as uninspiring throughout this dull, lifeless encounter.

The goal came when Agyemang scrambled in the rebound after Sean St Ledger's shot hit a post. From then on Leicester looked the more likely scorers and had it not been for the efforts of Nash the home side would have equalised. The Preston goalkeeper twice denied Iain Hume, his best save coming from the Canadian striker's close-range drive three minutes from time.

"Goalkeepers are there to make saves and Carlo has made a few this time around," said Simpson. "He has played his part. It may not have been pretty but we got the three points at the end of it."

Goal: Agyemang (15) 0-1.

Leicester City (4-4-2): Logan; Maybury, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Johansson; Sylla (Low, 76), Stearman (Hammond, 59), Hughes, Tiatto; Hume, Fryatt (Porter, 59). Substitutes not used: Henderson (gk), Welsh.

Preston North End (4-4-2): Nash; Alexander, St. Ledger, Chilvers, Hill; Sedgwick, McKenna, Pugh, Whaley (L Neal, 85); Agyemang (Ormerod, 56), Nugent (Dichio, 72). Substitutes not used: C Neal (gk), Wilson.

Referee: I Williamson (Berkshire).

Booked: Leicester Maybury; Preston Sedgwick.

Man of the match: Nash.

Attendance: 22,721.