Pressure on for Royals
Swansea 2 Reading 0
PAUL CLEMENT admits the pressure is ramping up on his position as manager after an unhappy return to Swansea.
The former Swans boss took his struggling Royals to the Liberty Stadium and fell to a ninth league loss of the campaign thanks to a goal in each half from Scotland international Oli McBurnie.
That defeat keeps Reading in the relegation zone, now two points adrift of safety with almost a third of the season gone.
“Clearly I’m not happy and the club aren’t happy and the fans aren’t happy with the results and the position in the league,” said boss Clement.
“With each loss the pressure grows and the pressure grows on my own position, I understand that. This is football. I’ve got to try and get results and no-one is more disappointed than me that we’re not.
“But I’m going to continue to fight, roll my sleeves up and continue to work with these players and move onto the next game. That’s all I can do.”
Clement made three changes from the midweek loss to Birmingham with John O’Shea, Garath McCleary and Sam Baldock preferred to Tiago
Ilori, Josh Sims and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
Hosts Swansea made a strong start as they controlled the majority of the first half.
Reading had chances at the other end with Yakou Meite denied by goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt while Liam Kelly shot past the post.
And it was the visitors who had the ball in the net when O’Shea flicked on Leandro Bacuna’s corner to Baldock to tap in, but the offside flag was raised despite the striker appearing to be level with at least one defender.
That allowed Graham
Potter’s Swans to get in front at the other end before the break with McBurnie slamming in from the penalty spot after Yiadom got in a tangle with the lively James.
Anssi Jaakkola was called into a smart stop to deny Bersant Celina a second goal for the hosts soon after to ensure the deficit stayed at just one goal.
Reading improved after the restart with Meite having most of the chances, but he either volleyed or headed wide on each occasion.
Jaakkola again denied Celina at the other end and the game was finally wrapped up with five minutes to play when McBurnie broke free of Blackett to tuck in a James cross from close range.
“In the first half we played poorly, we struggled to pin them down and something had to change, but we did have a disallowed goal that should have stood,” said Clement.
“We got back into in the second half and had 14 shots away from home, so I was pleased with the spirit and performance in the second half.”
Reading host Bristol City on Saturday (3pm).
READING: Jaakkola; Yiadom, O’Shea, Moore, Blackett; Kelly, Bacuna, Swift (Sims 88); McCleary (Bodvarsson 64), Meite (Aluko 90+2), Baldock.
Subs not used: Walker, Gunter, Ilori, Rinomhota.
Yellow cards: Baldock (81)
SWANSEA: Nordfeldt, Naughton, van der Hoorn, Rodon, Olsson, Fulton, Grimes, Roberts, Celina, James, McBurnie.
Subs not used: Mulder, BakerRichardson, McKay, Asoro.
Goals: McBurnie x2 (pen) (38), (84) Yellow cards: McBurnie (54), Nordfeldt (66)
Referee: Keith Stroud
Attendance: 18,785