Mac: We weren’t good enough
STEVE McClaren believes Derby got exactly what they deserved after a final-day capitulation resigned them to another season in the Championship.
The Rams needed just a point to reach the play-offs for the second successive season under McClaren, but nerves got the better of them as Reading ran riot.
Derby hardly helped themselves, conceding after just two minutes when on-loan Crystal Palace striker Kwesi Appiah raced clear before squandering the perfect chance to level when Darren Bent missed a penalty just before the break.
And despite being top of the Championship as recently as the end of February, a run of two wins from their final 13 games ultimately sealed their fate.
McClaren, who led Derby to the play-off final last term, said:“After 46 games, you end up where you deserve to be and we weren’t good enough to get into the play-offs.
“We didn't handle the occasion and we were far too nervous. We conceded that first goal and you could see the nervousness go straight through the team.
“Two months ago we were good enough, but over the last two months we’ve gone all the way down to eighth.”
McClaren has been linked with the manager’s job at Newcastle United since Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace in December, but he refused to use that speculation as an excuse for the failure.
“That’s been there for five months,” he added. “We have only struggled over the last two months. I’ll sit down with the board over the next few days and assess things and see where we go from here. It’s my intention to sort this out.”
A season which started with so much optimism had slowly started to turn into nightmare. Still, few Derby fans thought their team would miss out on a play-off spot perhaps, maybe, until the second minute when Reading took a surprise lead. Will Hughes sold Raul Alben- tosa short with his back pass to allow Appiah to nip in.
The nerves were suddenly jangling around the iPro but only two superb saves from Adam Federici, which denied Tom Ince and Bent, prevented Derby levelling.
Reading were riding their luck as Garath McCleary cleared Richard Keogh’s header off the line but that luck looked to have run out on the stroke of half-time.
Jordan Obita’s clumsy challenge on Johnny Russell left referee James Linington with no option but to point to the spot, but it was Federici to the rescue again as he guessed the right way.
The Rams huffed and puffed after the interval while Reading looked dangerous on the break, debutant Tarique Fosu impressive.
The teenager forced a one- handed save from Lee Grant but the Royals weren’t to be denied a second as Michael Hector rifled home from the resulting corner.
That prompted a handful of Derby fans to start leaving but they were soon heading for the exits in their droves when Reading struck a third late on, McCleary stroking home a penalty after Grant felled Jem Karacan.
Reading had been without a league win since March, but Royals boss Steve Clarke said: “I think a professional footballer has always got something to play for and especially us, who were on a disappointing run of results.
“The key moments in the game went for us and that was the difference. The players have been stuck in a bit of a rut recently and forgot how to win a game.”