Stam: I Don't Think Reading FC Played Well Against Nottingham Forest

Back to winning ways at the Madejski Stadium after a good 2-0 victory over struggling Nottingham Forest, the Royals are back in the play-offs.

It was a game for former players, Garath McCleary scored the opener in the first-half to put us ahead, before Ali Al-Habsi made a number of saves to keep us in the game. Chris Gunter made it two, yes you read that correct, Gunter scored to secure an important three points.

Manager Jaap Stam had some interesting words to say after the game, he told the official club website:

"I don't think we played well.

"We didn't play the possession game we can, the game we need to play. We were careless on the ball, first touches weren't good enough, passes were inaccurate, the wrong choices were made - and that gave them confidence that they could play very direct and create chances.

"We could have scored more, but Ali made a couple of very good saves. Throughout the whole season he has been very important for us, that's why he's our goalkeeper, that's what he gets paid for... to make saves like that sometimes.

"Ali has been terrific - he's a great goalkeeper, a great person, he has improved even more from last season from what I've seen and he's a very positive influence within the group.

"But you don't want your goalkeeper to be your best player in the match. He saved us a couple of times today... we scored two goals and, thanks to him, that was enough. Yet in the sense of how we played, I'm not very happy."

Stam was pleased with the clean sheet, thanks to Al-Habsi and but would to see an improvement back to our best, he added:

"We are very happy with the clean sheet, very happy with the win, the three points - on the face of it a 2-0 win is good. But I am critical in how I think about football and we didn't play how I know we can.

"We scored the first goal and everybody wanted us to keep going and go for a second - but we gave the ball away too quickly, too soon, too easily and they could get forward and create the chances they did. We made it difficult for ourselves and the first thing we need to look at is how we played ourselves.

"However, everybody in this team is willing to commit themselves to get the result. Sometimes we don't succeed in the way we want to play, but because of the work rate we are putting into it, we are still getting the result."

Forest were awarded a penalty by the referee in the second half before the linesman judged that it was just outside, so a free kick was awarded.

"I don't think it was a penalty. Certain players know when they are only two yards from the box, they wait for that moment to get close to the box them fall down and hope to get a penalty," he added.

"In the end the referee and the linesman did a fantastic job."

Next for the Royals is Wigan away next weekend, but for now, lets leave the final words to Jaap on the Royals moving in to fifth:

"Of course you want to be as high as you can and collect as many points as you can."

"That's what we're doing. To be in fifth position is nice, it's good and it's a result of what the players have done this season.

"But it's not the main thing we're looking at. The most important thing for us is how you work and how you progress."