Brad Friedel notched his 17th shutout of the season as Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday gained promotion to the English Premier Division with a 1-0 triumph at Preston North End. Blackburn, which picked up Friedel on a free transfer from Liverpool last November, clinched second place in the First Division, opening a four-point lead on third-place Bolton with one game to play. Fulham, which includes American winger Eddie Lewis on its roster, had already claimed the First Division championship and the first of two automatic promotions to the top league. Bolton, Preston North End, Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion advance to a playoff that will determine the third club to move up for next season. Matt Jansen headed home his 23rd goal of the season in the 71st minute to deliver the victory to Blackburn, which produced far more dangerous chances than its host but was denied by several outstanding David Lucas saves. ôIt was nail-biting stuff,ö Jansen said afterward. ôWe had to come here and get a result, and it was a grind, but we got it.” “We deserve to be going up,” added Blackburn manager Graeme Souness, who previously coached Friedel at Galatasaray in Turkey. “In this league, we were the big club, and everyone wanted to stuff us.” Friedel has 14 shutouts in 27 league appearances this season and three more in six FA Cup matches.