Fallen heroes remembered at Cantley Park – See The Sports Paper inside UNHAPPY CLEMENT RUES DEFENSIVE WOES

PAUL CLEMENT slammed some of his side’s defending against Ipswich Town as being like watching a “school game”.

Reading were outplayed by the Championship’s bottom side in the first half at Madejski Stadium and were fortunate to come in at just 2-1 behind, which allowed them to rescue a point with a 2-2 draw as Yakou Meite completed a brace late on.

Both sides netted inside the opening seven minutes but it was the second Ipswich goal in particular which riled Clement as goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski’s long clearance beat both centrebacks John O’Shea and Liam Moore before being tucked in by Freddie Sears.

“That goal is the kind of goal you very, very rarely see in professional football,” raged Clement.

“It might be a goal that you see in a Sunday morning park or school game. It’s very difficult to explain.

“Yes the conditions would’ve played a part, but for experienced professionals who do this for their job, you have to deal with that, no excuses.

“I thought the defensive line started the game really poorly.”

He added: “In the first half we were really, really bad. I was worried.

“We were in the relegation zone at the start of play against another team in the relegation zone and it looked like only one team was in the relegation zone and that was Ipswich.

“They were fighting, running, their spirit was great, they played some good football and we were like a rabbit between the headlights, didn’t know what to do.

“We were fortunate to come in with the score-line only at 2-1. It could’ve been 3-1 or 4-1 based on the way we were playing and the errors we were making.

“It was a strange feeling what I was seeing.

“The rain was coming down, there were errors everywhere and I just didn’t recognise some of the players that were out there.

“At half-time I was angry with them and they knew it as well.

“I would’ve made five or six changes at half-time if the rules would’ve allowed it.”

Clement made one half-time switch, changing his formation with the introduction of Garath McCleary and the Royals responded well.

Mo Barrow came close to a leveller and Reading’s second-half pressure told in the 84th minute when Meite headed in Leandro Bacuna’s brilliant pass.

That goal lifts the Royals out of the relegation zone and up to 20th ahead of a two-week international break before a tough run of games starts away at Wigan Athletic on November 24.

And Clement has called on his side to take the secondhalf display into those matches.

“In the second half I think the players reacted well to what I said and played with the right spirit,” said the Reading boss.

“The football wasn’t perfect but it certainly gave us the foundation to go and pin Ipswich back a little bit and I think we finished the stronger team.

“We deserved to at least draw the game and at the end we’ve had the better chances. “I’m pleased with the spirit at the end. That’s how we have to be every game.”

Clement named an unchanged back four for the third straight match with Andy Yiadom and

Tyler Blackett playing alongside Moore and O’Shea, but that combination have now conceded eight goals in those games. There are plenty of options should the Reading boss wish to try a different approach and he admits he is considering it.

“The more and more goals that go in, the more and more I have to look at other options in terms of personnel,” said Clement.

“(Paul) McShane, (Tiago) Ilori’s been on the bench, (Chris) Gunter has not started in the last couple of games and I know they’re looking at me.

“They’re thinking ‘we’re still conceding and I’m here’, so I have to look at that.”

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