Nighttime Non-Stop
Reading 2 - 4 Aston Villa
Royals Manager Brian McDermott was understandably very disappointed to see his team's brilliant FA Cup run come to an end - but could not have been more proud of his players after giving another Premier League team a real fright to conclude what has been an historic cup run.
Aston Villa's 4-2 win was ultimately harsh on the club's valiant players, having performed brilliantly to lead 2-0 at half time thanks to two goals from Shane Long.
They could even have been further ahead, but three goals in ten second half minutes put Villa in the ascendancy and an injury time penalty gave John Carew his hat-trick.
Reading kept pushing at every stage of the game, captain Ivar Ingimarsson seeing a header cleared off the line at 3-2, and Brian said afterwards, "I am gutted but proud.
"Our players could not have given any more and we have gone out of the FA Cup in the right way. This season we've put Reading Football Club back on the map.
"If you're going to go out then you want to do it on the front foot. We went down fighting against a top, top side and we were pushing to get back into the game all the way. We could have quit but we kept going and that's the mindset they have got as a group of players."
Long's brace and the brilliance of Jimmy Kebe put us ahead at the interval, and Brian rightly said we were well worth our lead at that point. "Our first half performance was outstanding and we played some fantastic football against a top side, we could have got more goals. We've given them as tough a game as they'll have all season.
"There was only one side in it in the first half but you know they have a fantastic manager who will say the right things. They got the early goal and if we'd kept it 2-0 for 15 minutes we'd have had every chance of winning that game.
"It was the same for us last week at home to Sheffield Wednesday, we were 2-0 up at half time and we just emphasised the fact that the first 15 minutes were key, we said the same thing everybody would say. We could have cleared our lines better in that period but they were clinical as well. They've got Carew, Heskey, Young, Downing, Milner, real international quality worth millions of pounds. They will produce something at some point."
The Reading supporters stayed at the end of the game to applaud the players for their exploits in this season's competition, and Brian was very happy with the backing. "Our supporters know when the players are giving their all and trying to win games. They will turn up, support and get behind the team when they see that on the pitch.
"We win and lose together as a group and we've had the conversation in the dressing room. The Chairman came in and said he was proud of the run and that said it all. Now we've got a really big week and we look forward to it."
Aston Villa's 4-2 win was ultimately harsh on the club's valiant players, having performed brilliantly to lead 2-0 at half time thanks to two goals from Shane Long.
They could even have been further ahead, but three goals in ten second half minutes put Villa in the ascendancy and an injury time penalty gave John Carew his hat-trick.
Reading kept pushing at every stage of the game, captain Ivar Ingimarsson seeing a header cleared off the line at 3-2, and Brian said afterwards, "I am gutted but proud.
"Our players could not have given any more and we have gone out of the FA Cup in the right way. This season we've put Reading Football Club back on the map.
"If you're going to go out then you want to do it on the front foot. We went down fighting against a top, top side and we were pushing to get back into the game all the way. We could have quit but we kept going and that's the mindset they have got as a group of players."
Long's brace and the brilliance of Jimmy Kebe put us ahead at the interval, and Brian rightly said we were well worth our lead at that point. "Our first half performance was outstanding and we played some fantastic football against a top side, we could have got more goals. We've given them as tough a game as they'll have all season.
"There was only one side in it in the first half but you know they have a fantastic manager who will say the right things. They got the early goal and if we'd kept it 2-0 for 15 minutes we'd have had every chance of winning that game.
"It was the same for us last week at home to Sheffield Wednesday, we were 2-0 up at half time and we just emphasised the fact that the first 15 minutes were key, we said the same thing everybody would say. We could have cleared our lines better in that period but they were clinical as well. They've got Carew, Heskey, Young, Downing, Milner, real international quality worth millions of pounds. They will produce something at some point."
The Reading supporters stayed at the end of the game to applaud the players for their exploits in this season's competition, and Brian was very happy with the backing. "Our supporters know when the players are giving their all and trying to win games. They will turn up, support and get behind the team when they see that on the pitch.
"We win and lose together as a group and we've had the conversation in the dressing room. The Chairman came in and said he was proud of the run and that said it all. Now we've got a really big week and we look forward to it."