Sleepy Stoke plead ref justice

REFEREES are often criticised, but rarely do they have to defend their sleeping habits. After being rounded-on by Stoke boss Tony Pulis, match official Mike Pike found himself doing just that.

Pulis, angry after his Championship leaders failed to take a significant step towards the Premier League by dozing their way to a draw, partly blamed his side’s lethargic display on the delayed kick-off caused by Pike’s late arrival at the Britannia stadium and claimed the referee, snarled up in motorway congestion, should have travelled to Stoke overnight from his base 150 miles away in Cumbria.

As excuses go, it was an original one, but Pike remained unrepentant: “I don’t do overnight stays, it’s an easy journey for me. I’ve been to Stoke on many occasions and I’ve always come down on a Saturday morning.