Stoke City Ready to Respond to FA Charge of Failing to Control Players During Watford Clash

Stoke City are begrudgingly prepared to respond to an FA charge of failing to control their players in their victory over Watford at Vicarage Road last weekend.

The incident took place in injury time when Stoke's Joe Allen reacted badly when Troy Deeney looked as though he was to take advantage of the Potters kicking the ball out after an injury,  instead of passing the ball back as is the custom. 

The pair then squared up, with Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross then appearing to protect his teammate after he had been grabbed in the face by Deeney - who was subsequently charged with violent conduct and sentenced to a three game ban for his actions. 

Alex Morton/GettyImages

The Watford skipper was the only individual charged from the incident, but with film footage available it is understood that Stoke will argue that none of their players were attempting to escalate the incident. 

According to the Stoke Sentinel, the Potters are expected to finalise their verdict in response to the charge on Thursday ahead of the FA's Friday 6pm deadline. Although both sides have been charged, Stoke are said to be feeling hard done by as they feel Watford were the aggressors of the situation. 

The precedent for similar cases suggest the club could face a five-figure fine if they plead guilty to the charge, or if they are later found guilty after submitting a not guilty plea.

Although Allen played down the incident, his manager Mark Hughes described the actions of Deeney as "unpleasant," and the sides will have to wait until their next meeting on January 31 to settle their differences once more.