Preston North End right-back Darnell Fisher could face FA action

The PNE right-back grabbed at the genital area of Owls player Callum Paterson as they waited for a Wednesday corner to be taken late in the Deepdale contest.

Footage of the incident was picked up by the cameras filming for the iFollow service and a clip of it went viral on social media after it was posted on Twitter.

It doesn’t appear to have been seen by referee David Webb at the time, so the FA could view it retrospectively and take action.

Some fans on social media likened it to the infamous ‘grab’ by Vinnie Jones of Paul Gascoigne in the 1980s.

Tony Pulis, who managed Wednesday for the first time on Saturday, said after the game that he hadn’t seen the incident.

He said: “I’m sure with everybody on social media, and all the places that people look now, he’ll be up in flames now if he’s done that.”

Should the FA decide to take action and North End lose the services of Fisher to suspension, it would be a big blow.

Ahead of the Wednesday game, Fisher had spoken of having a ‘stop-start’ season because of injury.

Saturday’s match was only his sixth appearance of the campaign but was his fourth in a row with him just having started to get momentum.

Against the Owls, Fisher started at right-back and then moved into a central position in the second half as North End switched to a back three.

Were Fisher to face an FA sanction and suspension, it would leave PNE short in the full-back areas.

They already have Andrew Hughes absent with a torn hamstring, with Joe Rafferty filling in at left-back.

Josh Earl could come into the side with Rafferty moving to right-back.

Earl was on the bench against Wednesday and was in fact ready to come on during stoppage time as PNE sought to see the game out.

The final whistle went before he could become the Lilywhites’ fifth substitution of the afternoon – EFL clubs are now allowed to make five changes following a change of the rules.

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