FA Cup: Will Ched Evans play against Aston Villa? Preston North End star's career - and rape trial - explained

The Championship side, currently 14th in the league, have pushed through to the final eight of the FA Cup this season after beating promotion chasers Burnley in the round of 16.

But while Paul Heckingbottom stands in the dugout, it is the controversial figure of Ched Evans helping to pull the strings behind closed doors. Signing an extension as a player-coach last summer, Evans is technically part of the coaching staff, but still registered as part of the squad.

Despite having only played six times this season, Evans has been called upon in Preston’s previous FA Cup matches. The Welsh international, 36, is only a couple of years older than the likes of Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk.

But a controversy that cast a black cloud over his entire career has followed Evans wherever he goes - and thrust his footballing life into jeopardy. Here’s everything you need to know about the striker, including whether he will play against Aston Villa this weekend.

Early career

Starting at Manchester City’s academy in 2006 - before their massive financial takeover - Evans made his name as a prolific centre-forward. Reaching the FA Youth Cup final that season, he was handed a senior contract with the club in May 2007.

A loan spell with Norwich City followed, where Evans scored 10 goals in 28 matches, being bought by Sheffield United for £3m ahead of the 2009/10 season. It was here that Evans saw his most success, scoring 42 goals in 103 matches for the Blades.

His efforts were not enough to prevent Sheffield United from being relegated to League One, but he continued dragging his team by the bootstraps - including an impressive 15-minute hat-trick against Chesterfield. He attracted the attention of Championship and even some Premier League clubs, but his contract was terminated by Sheffield United following his conviction for rape in 2012.

Rape trial

In April 2012, Evans was sentenced to five years in prison for the rape of a 19-year-old woman, who was alleged to have been too drunk to consent to it. The alleged incident took place in a hotel room in Rhyl; Evans admitted to having sex with the woman, but she had no memory of it.

While in prison, the footballer worked as a painter and decorator.

After a failed attempt to launch an appeal that year, Evans hired a different legal team in November 2013, and following his release on licence after serving half his sentence began working to clear his name. Three years later, the conviction was quashed and a retrial was ordered. Here, Evans was found not guilty by the jury, with the court hearing more about the complainant’s sexual history.

In 2019, Evans agreed an £800,000 settlement with the legal team that represented him in the initial trial.

Career revival

After clearing his name, Evans struggled to find a new club to call home. The likes of Hartlepool United and Hibernians (the Maltese side, not the Scottish one) both pulled out of negotiations with him, and Evans withdrew from a potential deal at Oldham Athletic due to what he described at “mob rule”.

In June 2016, he eventually signed for Chesterfield in League One, and just a season later was back at Sheffield United. He spent two seasons back with the Blades, but only made nine appearances and never scored a goal.

A stint at Fleetwood Town followed, before moving to Preston North End, which brings us up to date. Initially signed on as a player, Evans has scored 16 goals in 90 appearances at the club, and last summer signed a contract extension as a player-coach.

Will he play against Aston Villa?

The short answer? No.

To elaborate - it’s unlikely that Evans will feature in this weekend’s FA Cup clash. The Welshman is far down the pecking order these days, with the likes of Milutin Osmajic, Will Keane and Emil Riis all preferred at centre-forward.

But never say never; all it takes is a couple of injuries and Evans could find himself warming up along the touchline.