The Royals lifted themselves at the end of a very tough week at the club and looked like they might earn points from an in-form Middlesbrough side at the Riverside this afternoon. But late goals frustratingly proved our downfall again and we head home on the back of a very harsh result on Teesside.
“Today, football was cruel to us,” Pauno began.
“We got a severe punishment at the end after 85 minutes of good performance.
“Our team brushed the Fulham game off our shoulders and we re-established their spirit and their identity very well – and they showed that today.
“We’re in a difficult position in terms of being able to sustain that workload and that output for the whole game due to the injuries we have in the squad and the fact we have to rotate players into different positions.
“And at the end, we conceded two late goals – and we showed the only aspect of the game that we still can’t control very well.
“The last five minutes wasn’t good. The mentality and management of the game in the last few minutes let us down. We needed to avoid those mistakes and that is a big fix we have to make.
“But the team play, the spirit, experienced players propelling the performances and dictating the way we played – and the youngsters followed them.
“And everyone after the game was disappointed. The first feeling was one of frustration. It was loud, everyone had to say something about it - things were thrown around the dressing room.
“But after that energy had been released, we wrapped it up. And we encouraged the guys, telling them that we did really well today.
“I’m very disappointed for the supporters today. Disappointed that we couldn’t give them what they came for, a reward for giving us their support.
“I was envisioning the game against Cardiff, the games at Fulham and Birmingham and Swansea – although I think we played better today in some of those games. I was hoping this could be a chance for our fans and our players to celebrate together again. We appreciate them coming, we appreciate their support and we will keep fighting.
“Now we have to step up to the occasion. And we need action. We’re going to go into Wednesday night and aim to show an even better performance and chase the points on offer. We’re not going to give up.
“I’m proud of the effort, I’m proud of these guys and we’re going to fight back and fight strong.”