Noel reflects on Blackpool loss
Reading fell to a 3-0 loss at Blackpool on Tuesday evening, and Manager Noel Hunt was in a philosophical mood when sharing his thoughts following the defeat.
The Irishman was keen to draw a line under the game at Bloomfield Road, take the positives following a lengthy unbeaten run, and finish the season as strongly as possible.
You can read his full thoughts below:
Summing up the evening
"First half I thought we controlled the game for large spells. We spoke about it after the game we had three minutes of mistakes and we got punished for it. All of a sudden we're 2-0 down and we're trying to push to get back into the game and we get caught in the last minute with a sucker punch.
Obviously we're disappointed to lose but we're very proud of what we've achieved, 11 games unbeaten with the squad we have and the boys in that dressing room, we're fighting tooth and nail and they've been magnificent. We take it on the chin tonight and we move forward quickly."
On the experience of the Blackpool squad
"I said to the guys, Lee Evans [Blackpool player] has won this league two or three times and he's won the league above, and I was part of a team with him when we did it at Wigan. They've got plenty of experience, plenty of know how. CJ Hamilton came off the bench and he's won this league a couple of times, so they've got league winners amongst them, but it will be a learning curve for our young lads. It was great to see Andre come off the bench and making an impact, so there are positives."
Tom Carroll's cameo
"He controlled the midfield at times, and he's a good footballer. We know that when they come into the squad they play and train with the intensity that when they get thrown into the deep end they're good to go. He came in and did very well. From that point of view it's pleasing for Tom, but for us we need to pick ourselves up quickly because the matches come around thick and fast. There will be loads of ups and downs and we need to fight tooth and nail and see where we come in May."
Thanking the supporters
"They were great and we really appreciate their support. It's a long way to come, but that shows they are appreciating what the lads are doing on the pitch as well, and we can't thank them enough and we hope everyone gets home safe."
The 11 game unbeaten run
"It's been a good spell, and this evening's defeat won't define us. We had this conversation when we played Blackpool at home in December, we've got to go back through the game, pick up the bits we can improve on and the things we did well, and work hard to keep going. There's four and a half weeks left and anything can happen, we're there or there abouts and there's games coming thick and fast. Three games ina week coming up again, so there's loads to play for."
The post-match team talk
"Joel came in and was very passionate in the way he spoke, and he is so proud of the boys and what we have achieved so far. The words he used were "this game doesn't define us", we've been so good and so strong and we get back on the bus, self refect, and we go again tomorrow. We've got a game coming up on Saturday and our full focus is on that."