The Royals continued their amazing form across Christmas with a 1-0 win against playoff-chasing Stockport County at the SCL Stadium on Sunday.
Lewis Wing scored a last-minute winner to secure a fantastic three points. The win moves us to ninth, just four points off the playoffs. Here is what manager Leam Richardson had to say, he spoke to the Reading Chronicle.
Richardson on the victory
“I think it was the most hard-working, but it was a real good tactical game for coaches.
“Probably not the best spectacle to watch, but I’m
sure the fans saw a real willingness and how we adapted to certain situations and how we’re evolving a little bit as a team.
“So, yes, it’s been really pleasing to win today.
“I thought first half we controlled possession quite a lot, tried to find a lot more solutions.
“Second half, we probably had to defend a little bit more as well. But the resilience is what we’re after. We spoke a few weeks ago about our consistency, our levels.
“We know [Stockport] concede late in games as well, so we wanted to stay in the game if we don’t go get our noses in front early and I thought we had the quality in the end to do that.”
Richardson on tactical challenges
“All the best-laid plans are there to adapt and overcome, aren’t they?
“We played against a really strong team, probably one of the favourites in the division to go up.
“The manager’s been there a long time, had a lot of continuity, a lot of sustainability, got some fantastic players there, spent a bit of money as well. So, for us to not only compete, but to get the win in this short period that we’ve had, is really pleasing.”
Richardson on Lewis Wing
“I think with the chance that he had before, I expect him to probably score, do better than hit the target. And then he lands on the next one. It’s never in doubt, is it?
“I thought he worked hard enough for that little bit of quality and that chance at the end and I thought overall, we deserve to win.”
Richardson on the league table
“I’ve got enough hours in the day to look at what could be and what might be and what should be. I concentrate on the present and we try and be better tomorrow than we were today and that’s not changed.
“We’ll certainly enjoy tonight because the players deserve every credit with the work that they’ve put in. The families have supported them through this period as well, which is important, because sometimes they get forgotten.
“So, the staff and the players take enormous credit for this period.”
Richardson on the two-week gap in fixtures
“I’d probably like a game tonight or tomorrow.
“But no, it’s a great chance as you saw some tired legs there. The output’s been really good and with all due respect, that’s what we demand.
“We demand a lot of consistency, a lot of relationships, and the demand’s high now because they’ve raised the bar a little bit.
“Fingers crossed, it’ll be a good time to reset and go again.”
