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What happened between Sheffield Wednesday and Preston in 2016 is still crazy to this day

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Sheffield Wednesday host Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday, marking eight years since the two teams played out a crazy clash in the second tier.

Sheffield Wednesday return to Hillsborough on Saturday where they welcome former Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom and his struggling Preston North End outfit.

A former Owls player as well, Heckingbottom took charge of the Lilywhites earlier this season, but so far has just four wins from 19 games.

Preston find themselves in 18th place of the Championship table compared to the Owls up in 12th and now just five points outside the top six.

Last time out, Sheffield Wednesday stunned Derby County in a 2-1 win at Pride Park, coming from behind and winning with an injury time goal from Jamal Lowe.

Wednesday fans will be hoping for another entertaining three points on Saturday. And many fans might remember a time when their team took a very entertaining three points from Preston back in 2016.

Sheffield Wednesday v Preston North End - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images

Preston players sent off for fighting in 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday win

Almost eight years ago to the day, on December 3rd 2016, Sheffield Wednesday hosted Preston in the Championship.

The Owls under Carlos Carvalhal won the game 2-1 with Fernando Forestieri opening the scoring, then being sent off in the second half, before Steven Fletcher wrapped up the win from the spot.

But the main event of the game came late on, as Preston players Eoin Doyle and Jermain Beckford came to blows, resulting in both players being sent off.

Preston were looking for a late equaliser with Wednesday temporarily down to nine, after Forestieri’s red card and with Will Buckley receiving treatment on the sidelines.

Both Doyle and Beckford were fined and the travelling Preston fans refunded with said money.

Preston boss Simon Grayson fumes after Jermain Beckford and Eoin Doyle fight

Then Preston boss Simon Grayson, who briefly spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday as a player, was furious with Beckford and Doyle.

Speaking to the BBC after the game, Grayson said of the incident: “I’ve been in the game for 30 years playing and managing and I’ve never been involved with anything like that.

“I spoke to them in the dressing room and they were apologetic, but that doesn’t wash with me, something like that should never happen in the professional game.

“It’s an absolute embarrassment… You expect it in the playground between four or five-year-olds, not from two professionals who’ve been in the game a long time.”

Grayson concluded: “For something like that to happen is embarrassing. It’s a joke, it’s a disgrace.”

That season, the Owls finished in 4th. But Sheffield Wednesday lost the play-off semi finals to Huddersfield Town who eventual earned promotion to the Premier League.