WINTLE THE STAR AS BLUEBIRDS TOP TABLE

BRIAN Barry-Murphy heaped praise on Ryan Wintle after his “exceptional” performance in the win over Mansfield Town.

- GLEN WILLIAMS Football writer [e-mail]

Ryan Wintle of Cardiff City challenges Mansfield's Will Evans for the ball

The Bluebirds beat the Stags in convincing fashion thanks to goals from Will Fish, Yousef Salech and Cian Ashford, a result which sees them go to the top of League One. However, Wintle was arguably the pick of the bench.

The midfielder is not often in the headlines and does not garner as much praise as other members of the squad, but he has been a regular starter since Barry-Murphy's arrival in the summer.

And when asked if Wintle was perhaps underrated, the Irishman said: "His performance today was exceptionally good.

"He covered so many defensive situations and stopped them at source. That's very important for us. He is rightly appreciated by everyone in the squad.

"If he plays like he did today, I'm sure the supporters will appreciate how important he is to the team.

"Ryan has had a situation whereby Alex (Robertson) has come back in and had a really positive impact and Ryan has had to come back in and do really well.