Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton will face no further action for his part in an incident involving Shaun Maloney during the weekend's game against Aston Villa.

Barton clashed with the Villa midfielder and appeared to lash out as he shoved him to the ground during the Magpies' 4-1 defeat.

At the time, the incident went unnoticed by referee Lee Mason and neither was it included in his match report, meaning a retrospective punishment could have been handed out.

But the FA decided against pursuing the matter after having reviewed television pictures of the game.

The incident had threatened to heap even more misery on Newcastle, who are still searching for their first win under Kevin Keegan.

It is not the first time Barton has attracted unwanted attention this season - he is currently on police bail following a stint in prison over the New Year following an alleged incident in Liverpool city centre.

Barton was also roundly condemned for his high challenge on Dickson Etuhu during a match with Sunderland in November and he is still the subject of another police investigation following an alleged training ground bust-up with then Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

Mike Hytner / Eurosport