Reading new boy Chris Gunter is confident the Royals will make an impact on their return to the Premier League.
Wales defender keen to establish club in Premier League
Reading new boy Chris Gunter is confident the Royals will make an impact on their return to the Premier League.
Gunter, who joined the Royals from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer, is convinced there is enough quality in the squad to ensure they survive back in the top flight.
Reading stormed to the Championship title back in May after embarking on a long unbeaten run in the second half of the season and Gunter believes they can carry that momentum into the start of the new campaign.
"We will be looking to make our own mark in the league and the manager will be doing everything he can to help us push on," Gunter told
skysports.com.
Stronger
"In the past few years the promoted teams have done well, so there is no reason why this year should be any different.
"We have seen in the past teams that ended the season in good form can carry that momentum on into the new season and carry on where they left off.
"In the past Reading seem to get stronger and stronger through the season and have gone on some unbelievable runs in the past couple of years.
"Obviously, as a promoted team a lot of people outside the club are probably going to say we are favourites to go back down, but we have seen clubs that have gone up in recent years like Swansea and Norwich and they have gone into the league and made an impression.
"That is what we will be aiming to do and it is important that the club believe we were good enough to get in the Premier League and good enough to stay there."
Excitement
Reading begin life back in the Premier League with a home game against Stoke and Gunter is expecting a vibrant atmosphere at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday.
"It is going to be a really tough game against Stoke," added Gunter. "They got promoted a few years ago and have done what every promoted team wants to do by establishing themselves in the Premier League and they have got stronger every year.
"We are going to need to focus if we are going to get anything from the game.
"I have played at Reading before when it has been a full house and the atmosphere is great. The opening day of the league season is always exciting wherever you are and with it being our first game back in the Premier League at home there probably won't be too many louder places than Reading this weekend.
"Everyone at the club is looking forward to it and there is a lot of excitement around the place and we cannot wait to get started."
