Coppell Full OF Swans Praise

Steve Coppell was a relieved man after his side mugged the Swans on their own patch to progress to the third round of the Carling Cup. A solitary Leroy Lita goal in the first period of extra time gave Reading the win after the Swans had dominated for pretty much all the game.

Speaking to the official site after the game, Roberto said "I spoke to Steve in length after the match,'' explained Roberto. "He was full of praise for us.

"He said he had watched us before tonight's game and had been impressed with the football we were playing in League One.

"That is a great compliment from someone who is so well respected at the top level in the game. And, as a football club, I thought we grew out there.

"To handle a Premiership club the way we did shows the calibre of player we have in the squad and I think the fans appreciated the authority we displayed tonight.

"We controlled the tempo of the game and dictated a lot of things out there. In fact I thought the sending off (Sam Sodje) worked against us because it gave them a reason to sit back. That's a great compliment to us that they had to defend.

"But having hit the crossbar late on, I think that summed up that we didn't get the break or that bit of luck we deserved; but that will come.

"We had a lot of young players out there tonight, which makes it even more encouraging because it has been a fantastic experience for them.''

Coppell himself added "We had to play half an hour with ten men and then the extra half hour. And in the end, it was just that extra little bit of sharpness in the box that worked our way.

"For an evening's work we may have paid the price, but we wanted to go through. In everything we did tonight I think we showed our desire to be in the next round.

"We were playing against a very good side. I want to compliment Swansea. I've watched a couple of their games and they play effective football which is pleasing on the eye. I knew this was going to be a difficult test. But all in all, I felt we had the better chances.''

Coppell though wasn't the first and won't be the last manager to believe that the referee has been influenced by a home crowd and he believed that the sending off of Sam Sodje was harsh in the extreme "It's a hostile atmosphere here and you need your officials to be strong. I just felt tonight that we were on the wrong end of quite a few decisions."

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