Tabb admits he feels the player of old

Reading midfielder Jay Tabb has revealed that he feels like the player he used to be after suffering from a recurring hip injury in recent months.

The 28-year old returned to the starting line-up in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Birmingham but the tireless midfielder was very pleased to get 90 minutes under his belt. Tabby has found it hard to establish a regular place in the team this term due to injury and the form of both Jem Karacan and Mikele Leigertwood, but an injury to the Turkish midfielder has gifted Jay his chance in recent weeks.

Tabb told the official RFC site: 'For me, it was nice to get the full ninety minutes and I felt I was back to myself a bit today. When you get injured, it kind of knocks you out of sync a bit, when you can't even go in the gym, you feel a bit useless. So it was good to get the ninety minutes under my belt - because I know next year is going to be a tough ask to get into this team.'

'It was a weird one really. I actually thought we played quite well. I think if we'd equalised from the penalty spot we would have gone on to win the game. But things like that happen. Towards the end we got a bit sloppy, but I don't think we played that poorly. I'm glad they didn't score the penalty at the end because I think 3-0 would have flattered them.'

The former Coventry player signed a new deal with the club earlier in the season and is set to play a part in next season's voyage in the Premier League. Despite making 77 appearances for Reading, Tabb is yet to score for the Royals. During his three-year tenure with Coventry, he scored a respectable 11 goals, where he operated mainly on the left wing.

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