NOEL: "AGAINST A TOP CHAMPIONSHIP SIDE, WE CAN...

Despite Reading FC’s 3-1 loss to Burnley in the FA Cup third round, manager Noel Hunt was incredibly proud of his

team’s performance.

With a fierce performance that demonstrated their tenacity and fortitude, the Royals forced the Championship team

into extra time.

Hunt commended his players’ mentality and perseverance despite the defeat, especially considering how formidable

their opponent was. He stressed how crucial it is to maintain this spirit of perseverance throughout their league

campaign, which is now the team’s only priority.

“You see, we clearly did not want to be beaten. We don’t like being beaten, especially after exerting ourselves for

more than 120 minutes and facing a championship club.

We truly began to feel like we deserved to be on the pitch, play our game and play our way after the first fifteen

minutes, in my opinion.

We dominated the game in phases, but I felt we might have been a little more aggressive when we got on the ball. I

think the way we went from defence to attack was a fantastic game and effort.

The performance they gave made me incredibly proud. We can hold our heads high when we play a great

Championship team, as I mentioned.

It shows again, the mindset we have amongst this group. To have that belief, as individuals but also as a team, and

we showed how good we can be.

I felt towards the end, we just got a bit tired, which allowed them [Burnley] more time on the ball, then some of the

young lads came on, and again it is a great opportunity for them.

We managed to push them all the way to extra time, and of course there were a few things in the game that we

could’ve improved, but from the commitment to defend the box, and doing the basics between box to box when you

are tired, I cannot fault them.

For these youngsters, especially those that just last week were playing Premier League 2, to now line up against the

likes of Ashley Barnes, John Laurent – all lads I played with and against.

Seeing our boys fight like they did and not exhibit fear when on the ball is encouraging because they have been

playing for the past ten or so years.extraordinary.

We must continue and uphold the fight we displayed going forward in the league.

That is our only goal at the moment; it is the mindset we need to keep gaining ground, cooperating, and moving

forward.

We’ll concentrate on recovery for the time being, though, as some players clearly require more attention after

completing 120 minutes. However, once we’ve done that correctly, we’ll pick ourselves up and prepare to go again on

Saturday.”

NOEL: “AGAINST A TOP CHAMPIONSHIP SIDE, WE CAN HOLD OUR HEADS UP HIGH.”