New Royals recruit Matt Miazga was encouraged with the number of chances his teammates created on Saturday and expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome he has received at the club.
Miazga signed for Royals on January 25, on loan from Chelsea after returning from another loan spell at French Ligue 1 side Nantes and has already made two appearances for his new side.
He made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Bolton last week, before playing an instrumental role in the heart of the Reading defence which kept a rarely-seen clean sheet in the 0-0 draw at Madejski Stadium against Aston Villa at the weekend.
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While the two extra points are encouraging, Jose Gomes’ men remain in the relegation zone with just one win in 15 games.
“We’re creating a lot of chances and breaking down opponents,” said Miazga.
“It’s that last 10% to finish those chances and staying focused on the defence and then when we have the ball being organised so the opponents can’t counter-attack us.
“I thought in the first half we deserved to go ahead. We had a lot of chances, their keeper kept them in the game and made some brilliant saves.
“It’s a positive that we kept a clean sheet, which we can build on so now we’ve just got to finish our chances. The team’s working really hard and I just think with a little bit of luck that things will sway our way.
“If you watched the Bolton game, we should have closed it out. Here as well, at home, the fans were great and pushed us along. It’s 16 more games, so a lot of points to be earned.”
Miazga almost put the Royals ahead on the stroke of half-time, when Nelson Oliveira’s shot came back-off Villa goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic.
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“The keeper made a great save and I was right there for the rebound but Hutton got there just ahead of me,” Miazga explained.
“If he doesn’t, it’s a tap in. I’ve got to keep pushing, and getting in the positions to help the team to score.”
Despite being in Berkshire for a little over a week, the man from New Jersey has fitted in quickly with the squad.
“The team and the staff have been very welcoming,” he said.
“We work really hard in training. I’m enjoying it. I just hope we can continue to get good results and climb the table.
“We’re creating a good atmosphere in the locker room and just building as a unit. We said at the beginning of the game, go out together, fight together, challenge together and win together.”
He added: “It’s a point gained, and something we can build on.
“A good performance, and atmosphere, the crowd were supporting us throughout. We can use this as momentum.
“It’s coming and we will continue to work to get three points next game.”
Reading go to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (3pm).
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