A Bradford City academy coach could be dragged into Alan Pardew’s plea for leniency over his Hull headbutt.

Lee Elam’s name is likely to feature as evidence for the Newcastle boss when he faces the FA beak.

The Newcastle boss has already admitted his guilt and accepted the misconduct charge for his shocking touchline transgression with Hull’s David Meyler.

The FA are expected to come down on him like a ton of bricks but Pardew hopes to lessen his sentence by requesting a personal hearing.

And reports claim his hopes of escaping a long ban will hinge on using a non-league test case from seven years ago.

Then Kidderminster boss Mark Yates – now in charge of Cheltenham – put the nut on the much-travelled Elam, who was playing for Exeter. Yates was fined for the flashpoint with the former Yorkshire Martyrs pupil and banned for four games – at the moment, some predict Pardew will be hit with at least double that.

And while there has been much tut-tutting and pompous head-shaking in the wake of what went on at the KC, last week’s Match of the Day saw its highest ratings of the season.

Not bad considering that they had no Manchester United or Manchester City.

Proof, as always, that bad news sells.