In the latest developments from the bet365 Stadium, Stoke City’s Ben Pearson, the first player in the Championship to reach five yellow cards, is now facing a two-match suspension. This follows his distinction as the first player to accumulate 10 cautions. The 28-year-old midfielder received an unnecessary booking in the second half of the recent 1-1 draw against Swansea at the bet365 Stadium. As a result, he will be unavailable for the upcoming away fixture against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday and the subsequent home match against Millwall the following Saturday. Pearson is set to return to action for the Boxing Day clash against Birmingham City.
This suspension presents a frustrating setback for caretaker manager Paul Gallagher, a former teammate of Pearson at Preston. It also poses a challenge for any potential new manager who may step in to replace Alex Neil. Stoke City, currently in 19th place, is aiming to secure crucial points to distance themselves from the lower end of the Championship table. Despite ending a four-game losing streak in the recent draw, the team remains just three points above the bottom three, having played one more game than three of the five teams below them.
The match against Swansea saw Stoke take a lead through Daniel Johnson’s 70th-minute penalty, only to concede an equalizer in the final minute of normal time as Harry Darling headed in from a corner.
Looking at disciplinary concerns, Jordan Thompson and Wouter Burger are next in line for bookings at Stoke, each with six yellow cards. Players reaching 10 yellows by the 37th game of the season receive a two-match ban. Furthermore, those accumulating 15 yellows across 46 games face a three-match ban, while players with 20 yellows will have their punishment decided by a disciplinary panel.
With 25 games left in the season, or a maximum of 23 for Pearson, his caution rate currently stands at one yellow card every 158 minutes.
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