“WE ARE trying to build something special” said Brian McDermott after his side disposed of Walsall in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Through the brace of goals scored by Matej Vydra and further strikes from Hal Robson-Kanu and Danny Williams, Royals booked their spot in round five of the competition with this comfortable victory over the League One high-flyers.
And while the win keeps alive hopes of emulating the historic run which took Reading all the way to the semi-finals and a day at Wembley last season, boss McDermott is calling for patience.
He said: “We are trying to building something special and that takes time.
“For me, that is not about being reactionary after one result, a win, defeat or a draw, it is about building something special and we are trying to build something special here again.
“We had things here in the past: We had some really special times and that is what we are trying to create.”
He added: “Look at Paul McShane, he came on today, Michael Hector come on today, Ola John, they are just really good players who want to be part of something really good going forward and that is what we are trying to build.”
The Royals manager added how “we did our work” on a Walsall side which arrived at Madejski Stadium having knocked out Championship rivals Brentford in the previous round.
The Saddlers have also taken the scalps of both Nottingham Forest and Brighton in the Capital One Cup this season too.
“We knew what they were all about,” added McDermott.
“I hope they get promoted this season. They are a good side and have got some real good quality and play some good football.
REPORT: Vydra bags a brace as Reading FC comfortably progress to round five of the FA Cup
“But the most important thing was to get through. We scored four quality goals and might have had a couple more, but we are absolutely delighted.
“The conditions were tough and that was a tricky game today, so we are delighted to get through.”
Clinical Reading can now look forward to a fifth round tie in the competition for the same number of times in seven years.
And while a run in the cup is a welcome distraction from a league campaign which has fallen by the wayside in recent months, McDermott is keen for the club to embrace the competition once again, saying: “I love this competition.
“Last season we got to the semi-final and played Arsenal at Wembley, what a great day out.
“Having 40,000 fans at Wembley, what a great day for the supporters, so what is not to love?
“We got to a quarter-final and were 2-0 up against Aston Villa – I actually still remember that game, we lost 4-2 – it is a great competition.
“You have got the excitement now of looking ahead and it keeps the season going and we want to now try and get a result against Ipswich, then we play at home again, so we are trying to get some momentum going at this moment in time.”
McDermott went on to add how the injury picked up by Aaron Tshibola just 10 minutes upon his return to first-team action following a lengthy spell in the treatment room was down to “another part of his hamstring”.
He also revealed new signing Dennis Rakels is unlikely to be ready to make his debut when Reading make the trip to Portman Road on Tuesday (7.45pm).
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