JAAP STAM was happy with the performance of his players as Reading bounced back from two defeats to draw 2-2 with Brighton and Hove Albion in an entertaining tussle at Madejski Stadium.
Royals began their campaign with back-to-back home wins but difficult defeats on the road at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United left Stam with plenty to think about.
But the Dutchman says he was pleased with how his side matched the early league leaders and grabbed a deserved draw thanks to goals from John Swift and Paul McShane to cancel out a Joey van den Berg own goal and Anthony Knockaert strike.
“If you look at how we play, our way of possession, creating chances and the energy that has been put in by the players, I think we did very well,” said Stam.
“We created a couple of very good chances to score.
“At the start of the game Swifty (John Swift) scores a great goal but after that you concede a goal from your own player.
“I think if you look throughout the first half we controlled the game.
“We had a couple of very good attacks and played very well.”
As well as they played in the first half, Reading shot themselves in the foot less than a minute after the restart when Knockaert put the visitors ahead, something which frustrated Stam.
“We talked about it at half-time,” he said.
“The situation that happens to us after half-time, be aware of it.
“We still concede a goal and it’s 2-1 for them so you need to fight your way back into the game again to get the equaliser.
“You need to put a lot of energy in because it is a good team that you’re playing because they’ve got quality as well.
“You need to be aware of everything in case you lose the ball.”
He added: “We came back to 2-2 and after that you want to try and go for the third goal as well to try and win the game because that is in our nature.
“It’s not going to be easy because we had already put a lot of energy into the game at that time.
“When Joey (van den Berg) got his second yellow card it is 10 v 11 and then you know it’s going to be hard.
“The last couple of minutes you need to defend well and get a draw out of it.”
