Monday 1 September 2014 12:09, UK
Manager Aitor Karanka vented his frustration at the officials following Middlesbrough's 1-0 Sky Bet Championship loss to Reading, while Nigel Adkins was happy with his players.
Simon Cox struck in the seventh minute as the Royals ultimately grabbed their second league win of the season.
But Karanka was left bemoaning the events thereafter, with apparent Reading time-wasting going unpunished as his side failed to grab what would have been a deserved leveller.
He said: "It is something that I do not like (time-wasting).
"It is frustrating but they can do it. Me and a member of my staff went to the linesman and fourth official and they didn't want to speak with us.
"Then 30 seconds later they were with the other bench laughing and joking. That is what is frustrating, not Reading's game.
"I am frustrated by the fourth official's behaviour and it is not the first time. We were playing at the tempo the referee wanted. He wanted to stop play and he did.
"If the goalkeeper wanted to keep the ball for 13 seconds before a goal kick, they let it happen."
Opposite number Adkins remained tight-lipped when asked for a response, saying: "Time-wasting tactics? I don't want to get involved in any of that. I thought it was an excellent 1-0 victory."
That Reading emerged triumphant with a severely depleted squad unsurprisingly brought great satisfaction for the boss.
Adkins added: "We had 16 players unavailable going into the game so it's a great result. It was a super goal from Simon Cox.
"That gave us something to hold on to and (Adam) Federici has not really had many saves to make.
"The young side we have got have come away from home against an excellent side and got a great result. We had seven academy players on the field to finish off."
Adkins can now look ahead to a welcomed two-week international break.
He admitted: "It has come at the right time. We have had a tough week where we have done a lot of travelling."
Karanka has also welcomed the down period, suggesting his troops will be putting in plenty of hard work.
He said: "We were a team without spirit and character, especially in the first half, and we have to improve our consistency.
"The best thing is to have two weeks to work again with all of the squad together. We need to improve and recover our style.
Middlesbrough may be bolstered by the time they travel to Huddersfield in a fortnight, with reports in Belgium suggesting Genk's Jelle Vossen is on the verge of joining on loan with a view to a permanent move.
Karanka confirmed the club are in talks with the striker and also suggested there could be more arrivals before the transfer deadline on Monday.
He said: "We are speaking with Vossen and other players. I expect to be working until the last second on Monday."
