Preston midfielder Ben Pearson fails to get red card against Sheffield Wednesday overturned

Pearson, 23, was sent-off in the first-half of last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Hillsborough for a challenge on Owls forward Marco Matias.

He had made a sliding tackle on Matias with his right leg and won the ball, however the follow-through with his left leg led to referee David Coote showing him a straight red card.

North End appealed the sending-off but an FA disciplinary panel upheld the red card at a hearing on Christmas Eve.

Pearson will now serve a four-match suspension, three for the red card and one game for it being his second sending-off of the season - he was dismissed after the final whistle against Bolton in September.

The FA didn't deem it a frivolous appeal, otherwise they would have added another game to the suspension.

Pearson will miss the Boxing Day clash with Hull City, the home game against Aston Villa on December 29, the New Year's Day visit to Rotherham United and the FA Cup tie with Doncaster Rovers on January 6.

His absence adds to a growing list of players who will be unavailable for the forthcoming games, giving North End boss Alex Neil a real selection headache.