ROYALS FAMILY
Paunovic hails spirit and closeness of his team
READING manager Veljko Paunovic stressed the togetherness of his side as they made it four wins out of four in the Championship.
George Puscas scored the only goal after 43 minutes, a shot that deflected off Craig Cathcart as it went past Ben Foster.
But it was a sterling defensive effort in the second half which snuffed out Watford’s hopes of a fightback.
After the final whistle, Paunovic (right) gathered his players and staff together in a huddle on the pitch in a big show of solidarity. He said: “Before we step on the field, before we go out of the changing room, we have one word and it’s the ‘ team’.
“We all gather together and say we play as a team, and today again the team won. It is important that what you say you believe. I believe in all these values. I believe in enthusiasm, respecting everyone, in being responsible with what you do. I believe in giving your best, in people. I believe in our guys.” Paunovic, who took over from Mark Bowen last month, did not have time to hold his first training session with the squad until the week of the first match. But he says the good start has not been a surprise to him. “We always work giving our best and h av e posi t iv e expectations on the outcomes,” he said. “This was how I was raised and taught and trained. Every day we come in our environment looking where we can improve.”
Despite creating a string of early chances, the closest Watford came was when a James Garner free-kick hammered off the crossbar, leaving Vladimir Ivic, their head coach, frustrated.
“The final decision wasn’t good enough and this is what we need to improve,” Ivic said.
Midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah said: “If you don’t put your chances away it can come back to bite you.
“We should have been a little bit more clinical. We’ve got to work a little more on the attacking side of things.”
READING: Rafael 7, Holmes 7, Morrison 7, Moore 7, Richards 6, Rinomhota 6, Laurent 5, Meite 7, Aluko 7 (Tetek 83), Olise 6 (McIntyre 61, 5), Puscas 6. WATFORD: Foster 6, Cathcart 5, Kabasele 6, Wilmot 5, Ngakia 7, Garner 7, Chalobah 6, Femenia 5 (Cleverley, 69), Dele-Bashiru 6 (Sima 37, 5), Sarr 5 (Murray 82), Pedro 5.