The Royals picked up an important three points with a 1-0 victory against Northampton Town at the SCL Stadium on Tuesday night.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan scored the only goal of the game in the second half to take us out of the relegation zone and move up to 16th.
Here is what manager Noel Hunt had to say. He spoke to the official club website.
Hunt on the performance
“I thought we were really good. We created most of the chances and I thought we controlled the game for large spells. We nullified their threats and defended really well.
“[Northampton Town are] a tough team; they play a back five and they have loads of bodies in the box. To find the yard of space is hard sometimes but I felt that when we scored, we could have scored another couple. How we managed the game and saw it out, it was a mature performance.
“Tonight is a big game for us. We’ve been beaten twice in nine and in the last two or three performances, we probably didn’t get what we deserved. We did tonight and we have to build on it.
“We want to climb the table as fast as we can. It’s not going to be easy, and every game is hard, but if we put our front foot forward, are brave and aggressive in our play, we will hopefully get the right result on Saturday.”
Hunt on Marriott’s injury and Ehibhatiomhan coming in
“Jack felt his hamstring on Sunday morning. He felt fine after the game but after the game on Sunday he was stiff and sore so we had him in on Monday and there is a bit of blood on there so we couldn’t risk him tonight.
“He’s had previous with that hamstring, and he was still sore today so I’m not going to put my players at risk for a game of football. We will assess him again. He will probably be a doubt for Saturday, but we move on and keep going.
“[Ehibhatiomhan] was great. He worked his backside off, so he deserved his goal – the harder you work the luckier you get. His goal was really well taken. I’m delighted for Paddy Lane as well, coming in with a bit of quality to find the cross and it’s a fantastic finish.”
Hunt on Matt Ritchie
“It was an impact injury, he had a knee into the glute, and it swelled quite badly so we have to assess that tomorrow and go from there.
“He has been brilliant since he came in, a real leader and his enthusiasm for football is great for our young lads to see. He has been a great signing for us so hopefully he’s not out for too long.”
