Preston assistant manager Stuart McCall was involved in a heated exchange with a furious fan after a 3-1 defeat to Wolves compounded a miserable start to the season. A short clip shared on social media shows the fan furiously gesturing towards the assistant boss, with McCall, rarely one to shy away from a confrontation, seen firing back.
McCall held back by steward
The 62-year-old, who won five league titles with Rangers as a player and briefly managed them after four years in charge with Motherwell, is No.2 to Paul Heckingbottom at the Championship outfit. They had hopes of a playoff push this season, but successive defeats to start the campaign, most recently a comprehensive 3-1 loss to Wolves, have sparked some fan anger.
Tensions were high at Deepdale after a Fer Lopez double, either side of Adam Armstrong's strike, left them well beaten on home turf. As McCall headed towards the tunnel, one fan let him hear it, and the assistant boss responded before being led away by a steward, evidently worried about the situation escalating.
Heckingbottom plays down anger
Speaking after the game, boss Heckingbottom played down the anger and insisted his side did turn up despite the defeat. He said: "Tough one. We huffed and puffed and really tried and competed."
"When they opened us up in the first half, it was when we overcommitted and we made a rash decision. To give Wolves credit, I thought they defended excellently. The second goal made it difficult; we were just about to make changes. Credit to the players, they carried on. Even at 3-0 we carried on."
He added: "We would need everything 100% right to beat them. I think the quality is undoubted, you could see that. You have seen before the teams with the quality don't play with the intensity and hunger, but they did. The quality they are bringing on and the depth, it's a little bit different to us."
