Preston North End and Blackpool set to land financial penalty after on-pitch derby brawl

The charge relates to the melee which happened late in stoppage time of the clash at Bloomfield Road.

More than a dozen players were involved in the coming together which came after Sean Maguire was fouled as he led a North End counter-attack in the 95th minute.

Once it all calmed down, referee Tim Robinson booked four players – two from each side – the yellow card shown to PNE skipper Alan Browne his second of the game.

That was followed by red, with Browne missing the Liverpool game as a consequence.

Should North End accept the charge – they have until Friday to do so – a modest-sized fine will be the punishment. Lincoln and Plymouth were the most recent sides to be hit by the same FA charge, the League One clubs fined £2,750 and £2,500 respectively.

PNE and Blackpool have been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1, in that they failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 95th minute of the game.

The FA announced the charge via their FA Spokesman Twitter account on Tuesday evening.

Both clubs seem bang to rights, the brawl there for all to see – a coming together of Lilywhite and Tangerine.

It was a game which at times was niggly but never dirty, although West Sussex ref Mr Robinson showed nine yellows and the red card. Six of the yellows came from the 84th minute onwards.

It was Browne’s third red card of his career, the first being at Wolves in 2017 for two bookings.

The second came at Middlesbrough in March for kicking out at Sam Morsy.

Scott Sinclair, Pat Bauer, Brad Potts and Maguire were the other PNE players booked at Bloomfield Road.

That put Bauer on four yellow cards for the season although one of them came in the Carabao Cup against Mansfield in August, and does not count towards suspension in the Championship.

Ben Whiteman and Ryan Ledson are on four bookings in the league – five cautions trigger a one-match ban.

The five-booking rule runs until the 19th league game of the season – Middlesbrough away for PNE – before the amnesty kicks-in.

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