‘WHEN I HEARD THE FINAL WHISTLE, I WAS SO PROUD’
READING manager Veljko Paunović expressed pride in his team’s performance as they battled to take three points away at Cardiff City.
“When I heard the final whistle, I was so proud,” said Paunovic.
“So proud of the team’s performance, the team’s spirit, the grit and determination that it took to earn these three very important points as we go into the international break.
“We earned another clean sheet with another very good defensive performance, and although at time it wasn’t pretty, we figured out how to manage the game. Our reward is these three points.”
Despite being under pressure for the majority of the match, the Royals recorded just their second clean sheet of the season, and their first away from home in the Championship.
Paunovic continued: “Ten minutes of injury time were signalled, which I found fair because we had a lot of injuries which needed treatment.
“But the team reacted very well, it was great to see them take the ball into the corner where our fans were, and we got the boost we needed from our fans as we tried to keep the ball there.
“It was a tough game against a very difficult side. We read what was going on, and the physical output was tremendous.
“Scott (Dann) provided his composure and Jahmari (Clarke) brought us some physicality up front with his work rate.
“Every player worked immensely hard to grind out the result.”
The Royals now head into the two-week international break in 10th position in the Championship table after 11 games.
“It’s a win that helps us conclude a solid month going into the international break.
“The win gives us confidence, while the break gives us time to recover and reflect on the upcoming matches in the next part of the season.
“After the previous international window, I knew the team was only going to get better.
“We had lost at Huddersfield and the players went away with their countries. A month later and look at them now.
“The same players with a few additions who came in late in the window. And yet look at the improvement.
“The injury list remains the main concern – with Dejan Tetek and Alen Halilovic adding to our list.”