Town boss Mick McCarthy felt his side did enough to take something from their 1-0 defeat at Reading, but failed to take their chances or make the most of dangerous positions.

“I thought our performance was good, especially the second half,” McCarthy said. “I don’t think we did enough with the ball in the first half.

“I think we did enough to get something out of the game, but they had Johnny on the spot, who has scored and we didn’t.

“We didn’t score, fairly simple. We got ourselves in good positions as well but didn’t manage to work the keeper, which is disappointing. We didn’t score that’s the upshot of it, unfortunately.”

The Town boss wasn’t too harsh on striker David McGoldrick for his error which led to Reading midfielder Jake Taylor’s winning goal.

“He’s a fabulous striker, we should have come out in a line, we didn’t.” he said. “He was the one that was seeing the overload at the far side and he’s just got done with the run.

“Well, he didn’t get done by the run because he got the ball. I think he’s trying to head it to Gerks. If he was a defender he would probably have just put his foot through it and boot it out for a corner kick.

“I’m not blaming him because he does his defensive work. I’ll forgive Didzy that because he’s terrific.”

The 26-year-old was making his first start following his lengthy absence with a knee injury and McCarthy believes he was inevitably not quite at his sharpest.

“Overall, he worked very hard as he always does,“ he added. “I think he’s had some good bits. I think he might have got away from one or two of their defenders when he’s in his pomp and not still coming back.

“He’s been out for six months, hasn’t had much football. He did well, but maybe that sharpness isn’t there. Fine margins, but we knew that and he’s getting there.”

McCarthy was pleased with winger Paul Anderson, who replaced Elliott Hewitt at half-time, having missed Town’s first two matches with a hamstring injury: “He would have started from the start of the season because he’s been excellent in pre-season, and I think he took his form into the second half because I thought he played well.”

The Blues manager also had praise for Reading defender Shaun Cummings for diverting Tyrone Mings’s goal bound header onto the bar in injury time.

“It was great defending, wasn’t it?” he said. “Fabulous defending. There’s nothing Tyrone can do except go up and head it. It was a great header.

“Their defender had moved from the near post to the far post and has stopped it going in. Otherwise we’ve got a point.”

Reading boss Nigel Adkins was delighted to win what he felt was a hard-fought match: “It’s a pleasing game, a tough, tough Championship fixture.

“Today, we’ve come up on the right end of a scoreline. As we all know, it could so easily have gone to them, Shaun Cummings has headed one onto the bar at the end.”

Photo: Action Images

TractorBeezer added 18:31 - Aug 16 Listened on Player. Disappointing not to get a point from this. Positive for me is that we were trying up to the very end and came so close. Two big games coming up next week.
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TractorBoy666 added 18:33 - Aug 16 Would've preferred to see Anderson start today. Jonny Williams isn't even on the bench for Palace, surely it's worth going in for him? He's just the sort of player we desperately need if we want to push on this season, maybe after they get a new manager and see where he is then we can go in for him. Anyway unlucky today lads, let's move on to Tuesday and get our first away win!

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Len_Brennan added 18:38 - Aug 16 Yes that's righr Mick, we don't have a "Jonny on the spot" player. That's because you keep signing big lumbering forwards like Bajner & Sammon to compliment Murphy & Nouble perhaps, when it's been clear the type of striker we need.
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floridaboy added 18:42 - Aug 16 Two games in and the knives are out!!!
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bigolconnor added 18:43 - Aug 16 I think johnny Williams is currently injured
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marcusevans added 18:52 - Aug 16 By Johnny On The Spot, does Mick mean Johnny Williams?
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jas0999 added 18:53 - Aug 16 Sounds as though we should have got something. But if you go away from home and play for a point, if you concede a goal you may struggle to get back into the game. Our midfield does not have goals in it, whilst many of our strikers don't score too! We are an average but hard working team. No more. No less. We will finish mid table unless more quality is added to this abysmally small squad.

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essextractorboy93 added 19:00 - Aug 16 Wasn't much in the game at all today. They just took a chance that came from our mistake. Can't remember them having another chance all match at all. Certainly Gerken didn't have anything to do. Mings desperately unlucky with that header at the end, Murphy should have done better with a chance he had in the second half. Anderson really changed it after the break for us.

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BoomDog added 19:02 - Aug 16 We misses frank
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Bluetone added 19:18 - Aug 16 McCarthy when are you going to sign a player who can do the creative stuff?
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Steelmonkey added 19:21 - Aug 16 Unless you score goals to nullify those scored against you then you deserve and get nothing. Yes by all means build a team from the back, but thats only half the job, you need to score goals to win games. That means taking all the chances you get during a match, which was the difference between the two teams today. That's three games now you centre backs have not scored, buck your ideas up don't leave it all to the midfield and the strikers. As for the Williams saga, I don't think that anything will happen reguarding transfers and loans untill Palace have a new manager installed and he has run his eye over his squad. Couldn't agree more with your comments - jas0999.

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alfromcol added 19:25 - Aug 16 BoomDog Does Frank's wife play now??
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Talbs77 added 19:34 - Aug 16 If we want to compete for the top 6 this season we have to do better at places like this, our away form worries me in last year. No good being excellent at home if regularly getting beat away, always feel bit one dimensional away from home. But it's early day's and long way to go, massive 2 games coming up this week. Really hope Mick can get a inventive midfielder in on loan, its what's missing in my view.

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Walk_the_Wark added 19:41 - Aug 16 New season.. same old sh*t
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TimmyH added 19:44 - Aug 16 Yep our away form against the 'bigger' clubs in this division is pretty poor...I think Brighton was our best away result last season and they didn't make the play-offs either. Don't like to be too harsh this early in the season...but a year later on and it's exactly the same as last August, just hope things change but unless we get some quality in it's going to be more frustration and inconsistency.

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battyblue added 19:51 - Aug 16 Now in our rightful league position regarding the squad we have, see paul taylor had a good debut at Rotherham unlucky not to score. No chance next week on this showing.
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Warkys_Tash added 19:56 - Aug 16 Frustrating.
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manualthetisfanclub added 19:59 - Aug 16 Adding sammon shows were we are,mediocre. Derby,a rival to us palmed him off because he was a striker that didn't score,hope he proves us wrong though.Big micks tactics are getting even more obvious,striking options are 4 big lumps and didzy,if he is injured again we've got no chance.we are desperate for quality players,but I'm afraid the likes of tabb,nouble simply not what's required to get out of this league.midfield desperately needs a goal threat but what we have are workman like,you need more. This post isn't a doom and gloom after 2 games pop,it's just this squad is massively short of quality and am hoping Mick can pull couple of quality players out of the bag before deadline,Mr Evans depending.

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Talbs77 added 20:12 - Aug 16 I think we need some perspective here. Don't get me wrong, our style of play is hardly pleasing on the eye, we score zero goals from midfield and rely far too much on Mcgoldrick and Murphy. But he got us within 2 wins or something from the playoffs last season and if we beat that lot up the road next week, we will all be happy. And we will people.
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Bluetone added 20:28 - Aug 16 I see fatt*atevans doesn't want us to sign a creative player - now there's a surprise.
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bluelodgeblue added 20:31 - Aug 16 Disappointed as I expected at least a draw if we are supposedly improving on last year
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BriggEnd added 20:32 - Aug 16 Yawn Yawn Yawn mick this is the same old story like last season loads of missed chances again. I no mick has his hands tied regarding transfers and he must be as frustrated as us fans but we need a quality fox in the box striker to take the pressure off Mcgoldrick plus a quality midfielder who can create chances. Billy sharpe would have been perfect. weve had all summer to address these positions but all we seem to end up with are has beens and dead wood players. Come on Mr Evans please give Mick some cash to spend.

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BillBlue added 20:47 - Aug 16 Sorry Mick, with the people you keep signing and the teams you persistently put out we got nothing and we deserved just that - nothing!
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Bobby_Petta added 21:13 - Aug 16 Have to agree we a lot posts on here, we seriously lack creative flair players, the same problems from last year, if anything we are little weaker having Cresswell leave. Chambers is a good defender but not natural full back, Skuse is very ordinary, Sorry Tabb is awful, yes works hard but no quality. MM has signed 2 target men, with poor goal scoring records. Would rather see Marriott come on for Mcgoldrick, I suppose his further down pecking order now, young players need to play to get better. Sorry to be Negative I know its only 2 games in but the signing have been mostly the same type of players, Cameron Stewart is decent player, so hopeful he will play when fit. Is Owen Garvan still training with us? he would give us the creativity in the midfield, guess his not MM player though! Lets hope Ted Bishop can push on.

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RudolphHucker added 21:16 - Aug 16 Am I the only one that thinks Jay Tabb is one of the worst players to play at the club for a very long time? He was slow, weak and gave no cover whatsoever to Mings when he decided to get forward today and against Fulham. I'm not being negative as we've had a reasonable start to the season. However, whenever the two play together we get ruined down the left hand side and teams have sussed this out. Once again this has cost us! Why didn't we put Henshall on, the game was crying out for a bit of pace to get at Reading, yet Tabb was replaced by Bajner (one of three giants we had on the pitch) with 10 minutes to go. MM please realise he's useless. Start Anderson who was very good today when he came on, if you think that Henshall "will give too many penalties away".

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