Reading FC interim manager Paul Ince praised the fans’ support and claimed they ‘drove’ his players on to claim a vital point at Barnsley.
“The fans were unbelievable,” said Ince after he watched his side grab a late point in front of a sold out away end at Oakwell.
“When you need them to drive you on, they drove us forward and at times it felt like we were at home. The lads responded to them, I was proud of them.
There will be ups and downs, twists and turns, but if we perform then we’ve got a chance.
“We’ve put ourselves in a great position. It’s a quick turnaround but we’ve got momentum and have confidence and believe in ourselves.”
The Royals boss was pleased with his team’s performance despite being dumbfounded at the referee’s decision not to award Lucas Joao a penalty just two minutes into the action.
He continued: “It’s a stonewaller. You need those decisions to go the right way and I think Keith Stroud is a great referee but decisions like that can cost teams in this league.
“How we dont get it, baffles me. It could have changed the dynamics of the whole game.
“We’re fighting for our lives and when you have blatant penalties they have to be given.
“They’ve got to get it right. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
Ince praised the character of his team to respond after going behind early and was delighted with Danny Drinkwater’s performance.
“It’s going to be a battle. We got it down and played at times.
“The way Barnsley play, it’s never going to be pretty and we had to battle.
“We started really well with a great chance, they had one shot on target and you’re puzzled at how that happens.
“The lads need to understand how important structure is. We showed our character, bouncebackability, and desire to get back in the game.
“Sometimes when you go down a goal in a big match, you get impatient but there was plenty of time.
“I said at half-time, be patient, dont go chasing the game, believe in what you’re doing.
“We knew what they were going to do but it was hard to defend sometimes. You have to earn the right to play.
He (Drinkwater) was unbelievable, you look at him today and say ‘why is this kid not playing in the premier league’?
“I felt we should have won it, but it was important for us not to lose the game.
“It’s a great clearance from Tommy Mac (Tom McIntyre) at the end. That’s the desire to keep the team in this league.”
