Boss Joe Royle admitted that Reading were too good for the Blues as Steve Coppell's side completed the double over Town with a 3-0 win at Portman Road. The Blues boss felt the Royals ran the game from start to finish.

Royle said: "Sometimes you have just got to hold your hands up and say you have been beaten by a better side.

"I am not going to beat myself up over it, although I am not happy about it.

"They have now beaten us comprehensively twice, after we drew with them twice last season.

"They took hold of the game in the first minute and never let go of it until the 90th minute.

"They were too good for us and it just shows that since the summer they have moved on and we haven't."

Reading manager Steve Coppell was unaware that the win had taken his side to the top of the league: "I didn't know that we were top, but I could do with the season ending now!

"It means nothing to me at this stage of the season. I have said we don't want the highlight of our season to be October and November.

"We created well. It was a surface that suited us. It was a slick surface and we had pace up front, but we are very conscious of the fact that this result is just part of a huge equation."

Coppell was pleased that Leroy Lita got on the scoresheet: "Strikers live on goals and he has not scored for a while but that is his bread and butter.

"He got injured against Plymouth in the first game of the season and he's still not running symmetrically, but with time, rest and rehabilitation, he has got more in the locker."

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