BM praises his teams fantastic response

Reading manager Brian McDermott has praised his player's response to their loss on Tuesday night and to win such a crucial game against Blackpool.

The Royals superb run came to a sorry end against Peterborough on Tuesday night as they fell 3-1 at London Road. However, McDermott's men bounced back yesterday as they defeated play-off contenders Blackpool 3-1 thanks to goals from defenders Ian Harte and Alex Pearce and midfielder Mikele Leigertwood.

McDermott told the official RFC site: ''I felt after Tuesday that the lads couldn't wait to get out there. Sometimes you lose games but you just have to react right and the players did that, the atmosphere in the crowd was really good as well. We got a lot of things right, Blackpool are a good side who pass the ball well.'

'It's a really good reaction to Tuesday night's game. We had a good meeting on Thursday to get everyone together because we know the direction we want to go in. Everyone stepped up to the mark, it was a fantastic performance. We defended well, passed it well and attacked with tempo.'

The win cements the Royals' place in second spot, with West Ham four points behind with one game in hand. It is a well-known cliché but it really is in Reading's hands now, as just six wins and a draw will guarantee promotion back to the Premier League at the fourth time of asking.

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