Reading FC manager Ruben Selles believes his side deserved a point following their 2-1 loss at Exeter City on Saturday afternoon.
The Royals fell victim to a stoppage time winner from Reece Cole in the 93rd minute.
Of the result, Selles said: “I’m disappointed. The way we started the game, we were too open, we were not intense enough and we were not in the tempo or organisation in which we want to play. The first 30 minutes until we conceded the goal we struggled.
“After that, we took control of the game, we scored the first goal. We made a couple of mistakes, but I think we controlled the second half.
“We had a couple of chances to go in front, we didn’t, and from another mistake we conceded from the edge of the box.”
When asked if he thought Reading deserved to draw the game, the Spaniard said: “I think so, I think so. But it’s a game, and this can happen if you don’t score the goal, the opponent scored the goal. We just need to know how to play those situations.”
The Royals piled on the pressure in the second half, with winger Femi Azeez notaly coming close to scoring on a number of occasions, hitting the post before firing just wide moments later.
Of Azeez, the Reading boss said: “We need to help him with some strategies, but he’s working on it. He’s gets into some fantastic positions to score, he can accelerate the game, he can move himself in tight spaces, big spaces, he can press and I think he we have a really good player in Femi.
“The moment he will release all this pressure, scoring a goal, it will come.”
Centre-back Tyler Bindon has forged a formidable partnership alongside stand-in captain Nelson Abbey in recent weeks, but was missing from the squad which travelled to Exeter.
“He got a concussion in training yesterday so he went directly to the hospital to check it,” Selles explained.
“He was away from the game today, he will be away from the cup game. We will see if we can recover him for Cambridge.”
New signing Paul Mukairu was substituted on and off in the space of nine minutes; Selles confirmed he had twisted his ankle, slipping on the border between the grass pitch and surrounding artificial layering.
