Johnson: Delighted
Gary Johnson is looking forward to a play-off date with Crystal Palace after Bristol City saw off Preston.
The Robins secured a fourth place finish in the Championship with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over the Lilywhites.
Johnson's side had won only one of their last 10 heading into the final game of the season, but appear to have hit form at just the right time thanks to an inspired display from enigmatic striker Lee Trundle.
"Lee may be coming good at just the right time, and that could be said for the team in general," Johnson said.
"He worked his socks off and looked a real threat. We played well in defeat at Sheffield United in our previous game, and carried that on.
"We know what to expect from any Neil Warnock side, and Palace are in very good form. But we are proud of finishing fourth in the Championship after 46 games and will go there next Saturday in confident mood.
"We were going to look forward to the play-offs whoever our opponents were, and the way we played today gives us great heart."
Former Swansea striker Trundle was delighted with his performance, especially as he has struggled to settle at Ashton Gate following his high-profile arrival last summer.
"That felt much more like my old self. I enjoyed every second of the game," he said.
"The fans here have been great to me considering I haven't scored the goals I would have liked, so I was pleased to reward them.
"Palace are probably the toughest side we could have met in the play-offs, but we will go there with confidence restored and looking to win the first leg."
Preston were already guaranteed of survival heading into Sunday's game, and it was just as well as their manager Alan Irvine admitted that his side were poor throughout.
"That wasn't the sort of performance that got us out of trouble," he said.
"We have done well recently by looking good when the opposition had possession. But it was far too easy to create chances against us.
"But the players still deserve a lot of praise, because we were cast adrift at the bottom of the table not so long ago."

Championship Round-Up - 31st October
Derby 2-1 Coventry
Swansea 3-2 Cardiff - Sousa & Pratley
Crystal Palace 1-0 Middlesbrough - Strachan
Hughton open to name change
QPR 1-1 Crystal Palace - Highlights
Sheff Utd 0-1 Newcastle - Highlights
Llambias clears up stadium row
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Monday 9th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Barnsley vs Sheff Utd |
| Friday 20th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Swansea vs Derby |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Barnsley vs Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Coventry vs Crystal Palace |
| 15:00 | Doncaster vs QPR |
| 15:00 | Leicester vs Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Nottm Forest |
| 15:00 | Reading vs Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Sheff Utd vs Peterborough |
| 15:00 | Watford vs Scunthorpe |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Bristol City |
| 17:20 | Ipswich vs Sheff Wed |
| Monday 23rd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Preston vs Newcastle |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Bristol City vs Sheff Utd |
| 15:00 | Crystal Palace vs Watford |
| 15:00 | Derby vs Reading |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Swansea |
| 15:00 | Nottm Forest vs Doncaster |
| 15:00 | Peterborough vs Middlesbrough |
| 15:00 | Plymouth vs Barnsley |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Reading 1 - 1 Ipswich | |
| Plymouth 2 - 1 Doncaster | |
| Watford 2 - 0 Preston | |
| Newcastle 3 - 1 Peterborough | |
| Blackpool 4 - 1 Scunthorpe | |
| Sheff Wed 1 - 2 QPR | |
| Nottm Forest 1 - 1 Bristol City | |
| Leicester 1 - 2 West Brom | |
| Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Swansea 3 - 2 Cardiff | |
| Friday 6th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Derby 2 - 1 Coventry | |
| Tuesday 3rd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| QPR 1 - 1 Crystal Palace | |
| Monday 2nd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Sheff Utd 0 - 1 Newcastle | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Cardiff 1 - 1 Nottm Forest | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| West Brom 5 - 0 Watford | |
| Ipswich 1 - 0 Derby | |
| Scunthorpe 0 - 2 Swansea | |
| Peterborough 1 - 2 Barnsley | |
| Preston 1 - 1 Crystal Palace | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Plymouth | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United | 16 | 33 |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 16 | 31 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 16 | 27 |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers | 16 | 27 |
| 5 | Blackpool | 16 | 27 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 16 | 27 |
| 7 | Bristol City | 16 | 26 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 16 | 25 |
| 9 | Swansea City | 16 | 25 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 16 | 24 |
| 11 | Preston North End | 16 | 24 |
| 12 | Watford | 16 | 24 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 16 | 22 |
| 14 | Sheffield Wednesday | 16 | 17 |
| 15 | Sheffield United | 15 | 17 |
| 16 | Coventry City | 16 | 17 |
| 17 | Derby County | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | Barnsley | 15 | 17 |
| 19 | Scunthorpe United | 16 | 17 |
| 20 | Doncaster Rovers | 16 | 15 |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 16 | 15 |
| 22 | Reading | 16 | 14 |
| 23 | Ipswich Town | 16 | 12 |
| 24 | Peterborough United | 16 | 11 |
Sunderland fan Lucinda Gittins was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Catch every game, every goal from the Championship this season... right here on skysports.com!
Peter Beagrie expects a contrast of styles when Cardiff and Swansea clash at the Liberty Stadium.
Newcastle and West Brom continue to set the pace at the top of the Championship table.
Newcastle winger Jonas Gutierrez insists that he wants to remain at the club and get them back in the Premier League.
Gary Johnson hailed the resolve of his Bristol City side after they snatched a point against Nottingham Forest.
West Brom produced an impressive performance to beat Leicester 2-1 at The Walkers Stadium.
First-half goals from Heidar Helguson and Tom Cleverley saw Watford beat Preston 2-0 at Vicarage Road.