Warnock: Keith can't complain

Neil Warnock condemned Keith Gillespie for his sending-off against Reading.

Neil Warnock condemned Keith Gillespie for his sending-off in Sheffield United's 3-1 defeat at Reading.

Gillespie was dismissed within seconds of his entry as a second-half substitute following a flailing arm in the face of man-of-the-match Stephen Hunt.

The incident preceded a touchline spat between Warnock and Royals coach Wally Downes which saw both men sent to the stands by referee Mark Halsey.

Warnock told Sky Sports: "Keith said that he's just come on and he's had hold of his shirt. It's a sending off in anyone's book so he's let everyone down and he knows that, but it's not as bad as the TV pictures make it look.

"If you've played the game you know whether it's one of them [a violent elbow] or one of them [a slap]."

On his spat with Downes, Warnock explained: "He was trying to say I was telling people to break legs again, which is absolutely garbage. People will think that because they want to but fortunately for me the referee heard exactly what was said and confirmed that.

"Fortunately for me, Mark Halsey won't lie about what was said.

"Wally gets a bit carried away. He was het up today, as he always is. You might say there is history between us but in the past he has been a little bit cleverer than that. He was interpreting what I was saying because he wanted to."