Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy has hit out at the PGMOL after what he describes as a lack of protection for his players.
The Bluebirds travelled to struggling Rotherham United yesterday afternoon hoping to maintain their lead at the top of League One. With second-placed Lincoln City breathing down their necks, three points at the AESSEAL New York Stadium was a must.
Rotherham entered this game on the back of successive wins, lifting them out of the relegation zone. However, their Welsh-based opponents hadn’t tasted defeat since losing to Lincoln before Christmas.
The pendulum seemingly swung in favour of the Millers in the 21st minute when Cardiff midfielder Ryan Wintle was shown a straight red card having brought down Harry Gray, who was adjudged to have been the last man. The captain saw his clearance blocked by the attacker and bearing down on goal, hit the deck after feeling a tig on his shoulder.
Despite that, Cardiff weathered the storm to secure a 3-0 victory.
Barry-Murphy Slams Referee
Although his side extended their recent unbeaten run to 10 league games, Barry-Murphy was not in a jubilant mood following the game. Instead, the former Manchester City coach slammed the performance of referee Seb Stockbridge. Speaking to BBC Sport Wales, he said:
“We’re the only Welsh team in this league and at some stage our players need to be protected [but] they’re not being protected.
“Ryan makes contact and there wasn’t much cover but he [Stockbridge] couldn’t wait to send him off.
“Isaak Davies received a sickening blow to the head off the ball and it wasn’t seen.”
BBM on the red card:
“I think the refereeing performances this season, I’ve said nothing, I think they’re getting gradually worse. I think it’s been really poor. Ryan [Wintle] makes contact, there’s not much cover, but he couldn’t wait to send him off.” pic.twitter.com/N04Kjwm0eR
— ccfcinsider (@ccfcinsiderr) February 7, 2026
PGMOL Come Under Fire
It seems barely a week passes without someone criticising the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Official Limited). Barry-Murphy has added his name to that list, stating the club won’t be contacting the body for an explanation as it’s a ‘waste of time’:
“Our staff put a lot of effort into sending those reports but from now on there’s no point.
“There’s no acknowledgement of what we’re saying, it’s just ignored. We get a reply but the reply is always in agreement with what’s happened. It’s not good enough.
“We’re not going to waste our time on it, we’re going to focus on what we’re doing for Cardiff city and try to give our supporters and players the protection they need.”
Cardiff return to action next weekend when they welcome play-off chasing Luton Town to the Cardiff City Stadium, where they will be without the services of Wintle. However, at least one of their promotion rivals will drop points on Saturday, with Lincoln playing host to third-placed Bolton Wanderers.