Fifth booking sees PNE's Daniel Johnson suspended

The midfielder collected his fifth yellow card early in the 1-1 draw with Norwich for a foul on Ivo Pinto.

He will be the sixth member of the North End squad to serve a one-match ban for five yellow cards, Darnell Fisher, Paul Huntington, Jordan Hugill and Ben Pearson being the others.

As he gradually gets players back from injury, PNE manager Alex Neil admits the suspensions are a frustration.

This will be the third game in a row that a player will be suspended, Pearson having missed the Norwich match while Hugill sat-out the 0-0 draw with Bolton.

“It’s disappointing,DJ will miss the next game,” Neil told the Post.

“Just when we seem to be getting parts of the team and are becoming stronger, we miss someone.

“Ben Pearson was missing at Norwich, so to put that type of performance in without Ben speaks volumes for us.”

Had Johnson kept out of trouble at Carrow Road, the threat of suspension would have been removed.

After November 30, players at Football League clubs have to be booked 10 times before being hit with suspension.

So the Norwich game was the last for PNE before the FA’s amnesty kicked-in.

As it was, Johnson got his caution in the sixth minute for bringing down Pinto in full flight, although referee Tim Robinson did seem hasty in getting the card out.

Pearson will step straight back into the midfield to take DJ’s place, his fifth yellow card having come last week against Bristol City.

North End have the second highest number of disciplinary points in the division.

They have had 47 yellow cards and two red, amounting to 208 disciplinary points.

In the FA’s Fair Play table, that puts them behind Leeds who have 212.

That tally covers both Championship and League Cup games but in terms of league games only, North End are the biggest sinners.

The FA’s next amnesty for bookings doesn’t happen until the second Sunday in March.

Players receiving 10 yellow cards before that date will get a two-match suspension.

Huntington, Hugill and Fisher are all on six bookings so in all likelihood will reach 10 before the next cut-off.