Reading boss on ‘a very good night time’ as EFL Trophy progress confirmed with victory

Reading boss Ruben Selles described Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Newport County as a ‘good night time’ because it confirmed progress into the Round of 32 of the EFL Trophy.

A dominant show from the Royals, it took till the ultimate quarter-hour for the hosts’ efforts to be rewarded as Harvey Knibbs’ brace and Jayden Wareham’s strike confirmed victory over the League Two Exiles.

Speaking after the victory, Selles stated: “The performance was good, and I think we played the game how we wanted to play. Obviously the first 15 minutes are difficult in those games, but we created some situations in the first half to be at least 1-0 up. In the second half we continued playing and finding our spaces. It was about the moment we scored the first goal. We adjusted a couple of things at half-time, but we knew that if we scored the first goal then we would score the second and third- and we did. I think the team were brilliant and the boys did a really good job. It was a good night for us.

“It would have been a calmer recreation [scoring earlier] but when the sport was like that it might enable us to enter half-time and see what the issue was. We detected that we have been very static within the field, so that they have been closing our strains of passing as a result of we weren’t making the ultimate move as a result of we didn’t have the spare participant. I feel within the second half we fastened it and closed the transition higher. In not scoring the objective, there’s at all times one thing we will do higher.”

Promising to start a strong team, Selles stuck to his word as the likes of Lewis Wing, Amadou Mbengue and Ben Elliott all featured from the start.

“It was a really sturdy staff, and it’s good that we’re speaking a few very sturdy staff with two full backs at 16 and 17 and a midfielder at 18 years previous. Ashqar [Ahmed] has been concerned within the final 4 or 5 video games, Andre is Andre and Shay is rising and enjoying each cup recreation, able to go. We had a powerful staff and ended actually sturdy.

“The boys are growing, and they are doing a fantastic job. It is good news that we can modify the position for Lewis Wing, playing as an eight, and modify for Jeriel Dorsett in his usual position before we arrived and having Abraham [Kanu] back after a long period of injury.”