Bristol City and Southampton handed referee who sparked 'laughing' and 'winking' manager rant last month
Bristol City take on Southampton in an important match at the top of the Championship table
A referee who recently sparked a heated rant from Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael has been tasked with overseeing tonight’s match between Bristol City and Southampton.
The Robins enter the game high on confidence after a pivotal victory at the weekend away to Norwich City. Gerhard Struber made one change from the team that lost to QPR in the match prior to that, and was vindicated for the switch when Mark Sykes bagged the winner in the 73rd minute against under-pressure manager Liam Manning’s team.
The victory ended a four-match run without a win and allowed Bristol City to climb up to seventh in the table. They’ll be keen to continue that upwards trajectory by sneaking into the play-off places this week, but will be wary of the threat posed by a Southampton team that won promotion from this division as recently as 2024.
The Saints are a long way from hitting those levels so far though. They sit 15th and have won just two of their ten matches this season under new boss Will Still. They are the division’s draw specialists with the scoreline finishing level on six occasions so far.
Anthony Backhouse named referee for Bristol City vs Southampton
Anthony Backhouse has been named referee for Bristol City vs Southampton at Ashton Gate, less than a month after being accused of ‘laughing’ and ‘winking’ at a Blackburn Rovers player. The incident took place during Blackburn’s defeat against Charlton Athletic in September, when Todd Cantwell’s penalty appeal was turned down. The aftermath of the controversial call in particular enraged manager Valerien Ismael.
The 50-year-old coach told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We conceded a goal at a set piece but the good thing was that it was only one goal at half time. Then came the moment we were looking at and I think it's terrible the referee didn't see that [handball by Jones], because it can be a game-changer.
"What's embarrassing is that our captain is allowed to speak to the referee and he has winked at him and laughed at him. This is unacceptable. He made a mistake, but at least treat our player properly and not laugh at our players.”
Bristol City are yet to win when Anthony Backhouse has refereed their games
Backhouse has taken charge of two Bristol City matches over the course of his career, with both games finishing as draws. He’s dished out on average two yellow cards per match and has been awarded 10 fouls per game. He’s yet to send a player off in a game involving the Robins and also hasn’t awarded any penalty kicks.
Bristol City are facing Southampton for the first time since February 2024 when they famously ended Russell Martin’s side's 25-game unbeaten streak by securing a 3-1 victory. Sam Bell, Rob Dickie and Harry Cornick got the goals on the day, with Adam Armstrong netting a consolation for the visitors.