Former Preston North End player Finlay Cross-Adair pleads guilty to drug driving at Preston Magistrates Court

Former Preston North End player Finlay Cross-Adair has pleaded guilty to drug driving.

The 21-year-old, from Longridge, appeared before Preston Magistrates on Tuesday and was handed a points disqualification and banned from driving for six months.

The centre-forward, a boyhood supporter of PNE, signed a professional contract with the club in 2022 at the age 17. He made several first-team appearances, including his Championship debut against Stoke City and a substitute appearance against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.

But his promising football career was cut short after he was charged with assaulting a woman in May 2023. He was charged with a total of eight offences – six counts of assault, one of stalking and one of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

Cross-Adair admitted assaulting a woman, causing actual bodily harm, and pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court in January 2024. He was handed an 18-month community order, 150 hours of unpaid work, and mandatory rehabilitation programs.

A few months earlier, in October 2023, the young footballer was injured in a head-on crash with a van on the A6 near Lancaster. He was rescued from his wrecked Seat by firefighters who cut him free before he was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital in an ambulance.

Preston North End said their young forward suffered ‘serious injuries’ and former North End manager Ryan Lowe was pictured at his hospital bedside. He spent time in the ICU at Royal Preston Hospital before undergoing successful surgeries and being discharged to continue his recovery.

Cross-Adair was released from North End after brief loan stints at Annan Athletic and Prescot Cables, before joining Fleetwood Town in 2024/25, where he made just one appearance for the Lancashire club.

He also had spells at Warrington Town and Ramsbottom United before joining his hometown non-league side, Longridge Town, in July 2026.