FA investigate reports of Hillsborough overcrowding in Newcastle United end during Sheffield Wednesday's FA Cup tie

English football's governing body will liaise with both clubs and the police.

Although the televised early-evening game was not a sell-out, with 25,884 fans recorded as being in the ground, the Magpies took 4,500 supporters to South Yorkshire.

The problems are reported as having been in the lower concourse of the Leppings Lane End, with stories of netting being removed from some seats to alleviate possible crushing. Other travelling fans have criticised a lack of stewarding.

It was at the Leppings Lane End of Hillsborough that the worst crowd safety incident in English football history happened in the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, where 97 Liverpool supporters died.

Like all English football grounds, Hillsborough has changed much for the better since, and that section of the ground which was then terraced in now all-seated to avoid a repeat of the horrific incident.

During the game there appeared to be a small cluster of seats in the bottom corner of the upper tier of the Leppings Lane End – also given over to Newcastle fans towards the vacant north west corner.

There have been reports of a bottleneck of supporters on a stairway at the centre of the lower tier 10 minutes before kick-off.

The Yorkshire Post has contacted Sheffield Wednesday for comment.