Long: We need a win to lift our heads
Posted on: Sat 14 Mar 2009
Despite keeping his place in the starting eleven, Shane Long was desperately disappointed after the 1-0 loss against Ipswich - another home defeat.
"I don't know what to say really. We kind of threw it away," he admitted to the waiting press afterwards.
"I thought we looked dangerous in the first half, creating a few chances and, if anyone was going to take the lead it looked like it was going to be us.
"But after half time we conceded a goal straight away and it was going to be a battle from then on.
"We just couldn't make the breakthrough. Coming back from a goal down was always going to be hard.
"They sat back and I think they would have been happy with the draw after that I'd say. But they took all three points and fair play to them."
The Royals striker was still confident that automatic promotion is still within Reading's grasp.
"I saw that Wolves won and that Doncaster are losing at home to Birmingham as we speak.
"And we've got to watch the teams below us now - we're a point ahead of fourth with a game in hand.
"But it's still in our hands. Wolves aren't in great form either - they picked up a win today, but it was only thanks to a late goal and they've been struggling.
"Birmingham, even if they go on to win this evening, are still in our grasp; we have got them on the last day of the season, which could be a six pointer.
"Getting back up into the Premiership is the goal and if we concentrate on ourselves, get as many points as we can, who knows what might happen.
"We just need that first win to get our heads lifted and kick on from there. Hopefully we can that on Tuesday.
"I think teams are going away from home looking for a point and it's not happening for us here at the moment, so we're all loking forward to an away game now.
"If we can take the three points up there and then get the same in the two away games after that, a home game probably wouldn't seem so daunting."
There is one person keeping the faith.
I admitted earlier I'm losing my faith in Reading Football Club - and reading that article hasn't changed that.
But if Long can keep the faith, why can't we?
Promotion affects the players more than it affects the fans, so if a player can keep the faith, we should too!
