Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock criticises 'devious' Huddersfield Town tackles

Boro claimed their first win in six Championship matches in a tense 2-1 victory over Town in a finale which saw the hosts go down to ten men after Paddy McNair’s controversial late dismissal for a challenge on Juninho Bacuna.

A livid Warnock slammed the decision to dismiss McNair as 'scandalous’ and the club immediately lodged an appeal against the dismissal - where the punishment was a three-match ban - and the red card has been successfully overturned at an FA hearing on Thursday.

It represents Boro's second successful appeal against a red card this winter, while Warnock was also left incensed after Blackburn defender Jarrad Branthwaite went unpunished for a kick in the face of Dael Fry in a fixture last month.

Warnock has been critical of refereeing standards this season - claiming it has ‘never been as poor’ and is a long-time advocate of ex-players being fast-tracked to become referees.

He believes that the officials missed out some poor challenges from away players on Tuesday, including one on midfielder Jonathan Howson in particular.

He said: “There is a picture of Jon Howson’s foot, having been topped by a player who should have been booked. I can show you the tackle.

"Referees cannot see it, really and they don’t look for that (one) after the ball with the studs up. If you look saw his ankle, it was like a balloon and black.

"They are the ones that referees should be looking at and are difficult to spot. Not the Paddy McNair’s..It is the devious ones and we had two or three of those the other night and no bookings whatsoever.

“I have not got time to start educating referees as well….

"Probably the best one we have had has come from Australia (Jarrad Gillett) to get things correct and round about in a game. But when you have to come to something where you have to have played the game or been involved, that is where they miss out on.

"Alan (Wiley - referees chief) must pull his own hair out at times. When I write to him - and I do regularly and he always comes back with an answer - he understands my frustrations and he has his own frustrations as well. It is about coaching and he is trying to do his best to increase it."