Both sides will likely be forced to top up the FA’s Christmas party fund
Referee Stephen Martin shows Preston North End’s Milutin Osmajic a straight red(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Paul Heckingbottom labelled Milutin Osmajic’s indiscipline “totally unacceptable” after the Preston North End forward added to his tally of suspensions with a headbutt against Hull City.
Former North End loanee Liam Millar set City on the way to a dominant 3-0 win with a 33rd-minute tap-in after David Akintola had raced onto Matt Crooks’ ball, with Akin Famewo doubling the lead just before half-time from Oli McBurnie’s lay-off.
McBurnie acrobatically put the icing on the cake in the 53rd minute when he netted from debutant Yu Hirakawa’s cross, but worse was to follow for the hapless hosts after Osmajic’s red card for butting John Lundstram in added time.
That sparked a melee in the technical area, with North End coach Peter Clarke and City goalkeeping coach Erbil Bozkurt both sent off by referee Stephen Martin, along with Osmajic.
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The Montenegro striker has previously served long suspensions after being found guilty of biting Blackburn Rovers’ Owen Beck and for allegedly making racist comments to Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri.
And Preston boss Heckingbottom didn’t hold back in his assessment of his striker completely losing the plot once again: “(It is) a lack of discipline that is totally unacceptable.
“In my time here, he gets three games for that, and that makes 20 games (missed due to suspension). They are different issues, don’t get me wrong, but getting sent off for a tackle for the team is a lot different.
“There’s a way to act as a professional footballer, regardless of if that’s a tackle on the pitch, discipline away from it, or on the training ground.”
On the melee at the end that will likely see both clubs fined by the FA, Heckingbottom added: “One of their guys in our technical area, that’s what started it. I don’t think anything happened, but he’s just sent one off from each side. I don’t know who it was on their team, just the guy who was in our technical area. He could’ve picked anyone and sent anyone off.”
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