Jaap Stam On Hardworking Performance At Nottingham Forest

After a much needed break, the Royals faced Nottingham Forest at the County Ground where a positive result was needed. Reading played well in the first half and went in a goal up with Omar Richards scoring his first for the club. Forest came out all guns blazing in the second half and equalised late on through Lee Tomlin to secure a point.

Jaap Stam told the Official Club website after the game:

"We played very well in the first half and when you play like that you create a couple of very good opportunities to score.

“We got one, which is good, but we could have scored more. It’s not always easy to get the ball in the net because the opposition is fighting hard for it as well.

“In the second half you want to keep on going, but you know that they’re going to be pressing higher up the pitch and being a bit more aggressive.

“We didn’t quite have as much movement in the second half as we did in the first, which sometimes made it a bit easier for them to press us. And it was tough to get out at times, and they had opportunities and we had to work hard.

“The team worked hard for it, and they tried to do their best - as they always do! You want to cling onto that 1-0 to get the three points, but we know that we’re playing against a good side and that it’s not always easy to do that.

“It was important to get something out of the game, but we wanted more!"

We all remember when Jordan Obita scored his first goal for the Royals at Forest all those years ago, and history repeated itself with Richards scoring his first goal, Stam added:

“Omar is a good player. He is very comfortable on the ball, he goes forward, he has pace - and he can score a goal as well, as you’ve seen!

“Sometimes as a left-back you need to go forward so you’re there to finish it. That’s what he’s done and that’s good for him and the team as well.”

Next up are Forest’s rivals Derby County on Saturday as Reading return to the Madejski Stadium.