JUST six points is all Preston require now to confirm their status as North Premier division two league champion.

Following a routine victory over relegation stricken Knutsford on Saturday, only Timperley and Bebington now stand in the way of Preston's championship quest.

And if their rousing second half performance is any indicator of the future, then any hope Bowdon harbour of gazumping Preston's title bid in a final match decider will be just that -- a distant hope.

But recently Preston have been suffering from the inevitable dip in form that all sides encounter at some point during the season. But to their credit they have, Northop Hall aside, continued to churn out the results.

Preston will now hope that this sort of momentum continues as they negotiate the final passages of an intriguing season.