Reading manager Brian McDermott praises his side’s performance in playoff final
Reading manager, Brian McDermott, has heaped praise on his players for their battling performance against Swansea City in the playoff final at Wembley on Monday. Reading lost that match 4-2.
Though the Royals ultimately failed in their bid to secure English Premier League promotion, manager Brian McDermott revealed that he could not be more proud of his players. The Englishman believes that his side were ‘inches away’ from winning the match,
but fate was not with them on the night.
Reading were the architects of their own demise to some extent. They gave away two needless penalties in each half to put Swansea in a commanding position in the match. The Swans were up by three goals to nil by half time, thanks to two goals from Scott
Sinclair, one of which had come from a penalty. There seemed to be no way back for the Royals, but Brian McDermott never lost faith in the talents of his team.
His half-time team talk showed immediate results, as the Royals scored two goals in quick succession in the second half to put themselves on course for a sensational comeback. However, it was not meant to be. Swansea were awarded another penalty in the 80
minute, which http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Scott-Sinclair-c32675 converted to all but ensure that the Swans would be competing in the Premier League next season.
Speaking after the match, the Reading manager was full of praise for his team, saying, “I thought when we got to 3-2 we were going to win the game. I said to the players at half-time, ‘Don’t worry about four goals, get one’. We were inches away from the
third goal. If we had made it 3-3 we would have won that game.”
He added, “Obviously, the fourth goal killed the game but our players were a credit to the fans and club. I’m proud of the players. They showed great resilience. They are a great bunch. The fans could see the team giving it absolutely everything."
Reading finished in fifth place in the 2010/11 npower Championship and will look to challenge for the title in the upcoming season.
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