Reading FC under 21’s manager Noel Hunt expressed his pride after his side made it through to the final four of the Premier League 2 play-offs.
The Royals defeated Nottingham Forest in front of more than 1,100 fans at the Select Car Leasing Stadium with a Jayden Wareham penalty and a John Clarke brace.
“We were good today. The way we started the game with determination,” said Hunt.
“They were in control of it. They got a bit tired, the sun was a massive factor for both teams, but at the end we completely controlled the game.
“It’s about keeping the ball and being alive, Louis (Holzman) goes to shoot and fakes and the kid dives in.
“We had total trust in Jayden (Wareham) to put the penalty away, he worked tirelessly and deserved his goal.”
Hunt was also full of praise for Clarke who has returned to the team in excellent form after missing more than a year with injury.
Hunt continued: ”He (Clarke) is an asset and an outlet for us. He’s a kid who has had a really tough time, he had a tough injury which kept him out for over a year. We’re ticking boxes with him to get him fit and he’s come back and proved us all wrong.
“We knew he’d come back, but how well he’s come back ,his mindset has been outstanding so he deserves everything he’s getting at the moment.
“He’s still finding his feet and for this season it’s ticking boxes to get him through to the end of the season and then he can get a good pre-season and be off and running again.”
The Royals are now looking ahead to their Berks & Bucks Cup final against Marlow on Wednesday.
Hunt said: “We stayed calm and controlled the game in the second-half.
“I still think we can be better and cleaner with it. We got there in the end but I think we could have got there quicker and we spoke about how we can make it easier for ourselves.
“We’ve got to keep going with our mindset. We’re proud of being Reading, we’re proud of how we play, how we work and that’s the most important thing.
“We’ve got a cup final now on Wednesday which I’m really looking forward to and then we’ve got the semi-final.
“We’re in the game to win things. The development side is really important, but ultimately you play the game to win trophies. We’ve got a tough game against Marlow.”
