Manager Steve Clarke heaps praise on Reading fans
ByPA Sport Report
Published 21/11/2015 at 18:54 GMT
Reading manager Steve Clarke praised the club's fans for not overreacting against him before or during the unconvincing 2-1 Sky Bet Championship victory over Bolton Wanderers.
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Clarke held talks with Fulham during the week, to possibly succeed the sacked Kit Symons, but eventually decided to stay at the Madejski Stadium. The defeat of Bolton was Reading's first win in six matches.
"It was always going to be a little bit strange for me today," Clarke admitted. "But I've got to say that the crowd got it quite right.
"The reception was cool but nothing more than that. And they got right behind the team, which is all we ask for. I don't think it [the Fulham talks] had any effect on the players.
"The result was good in the context of our season. We're desperate to stay in and around the upper levels of the league and challenge for promotion.
"It was a big win for us after five games without a win. It was really important to us today."
Reading were indebted to goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi for a string of fine saves in the opening exchanges.
First, he produced a flying stop to keep out a Shola Ameobi header from a Jose Casado free-kick. Neil Danns fired the rebound into the side netting.
Al Habsi then spread himself bravely to block an effort from Mark Davies and then spectacularly tipped away a Darren Pratley header.
Reading were barely in contention but went ahead in the 28th minute. Lucas Piazon blocked an attempted clearance by Prince-Desir Gouano, chased the loose ball and dinked it past goalkeeper Ben Amos.
Amos did better soon after, saving an Oliver Norwood piledriver, but could do little when Danny Williams lashed home a 20-yard drive in the 34th minute.
Bolton plugged on gamely in the second half but again had no luck. Ameobi nodded Pratley's far-post cross against the bar with Al Habsi, for once, well beaten.
But 10 minutes from time, they did reduce the gap. Norwood tripped Pratley in the area and Liam Feeney thumped home the spot kick.
It was Bolton's first goal in 408 minutes but they could not create an equaliser and slipped to the bottom of the table.
"We could have been three goals up before we shot ourselves in the foot," Neil Lennon, the Bolton manager, said. "Al Habsi's made three very good saves.
"The goals we conceded, we just gave them to Reading. They didn't have to work hard for either goal. The first one was schoolboy stuff from our point of view.
"We didn't look like a team at the bottom of the league but I've been saying that for quite a while now.
"But I've got to take positives from the defeat. There was a lot of good things that we did.
"We just need a bit of mental strength at both ends of the pitch, which is lacking at the moment."
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