Steve Coppell will not get carried away if Reading beat West Brom in the FA Cup.
Reading boss Steve Coppell has stressed that the FA Cup game against West Brom will not provide a clear indication of how they could perform in The Premiership next season.The Royals are runaway leaders in The Championship and appear almost certain to earn promotion, but must temporarily switch their focus to the FA Cup replay on Tuesday.
West Brom are embroiled in a relegation dogfight in the top flight, and although both clubs will be keen for a cup run, Coppell insists he will not read too much into a one-off game, whatever the outcome.
"I don't think it's a yardstick, I really don't," he told Sky Sports News.
"It's a game in isolation away from the context of the league. The league is always different at whatever level so I don't think anyone will be drawing any grand conclusions about performances and results.
"In many ways I think a lot of supporters from both camps will be questioning the wisdom of going through.
"But I think that both sets of players will be up for it once they get out there and the whistle is blown. The competitive nature of all footballers is such that they just want to win matches."
Striker Dave Kitson, meanwhile, warned The Baggies that Reading's hot run of form would give them confidence and make them a difficult obstacle to overcome.
"There's no reason why we can't go out and win the game. We're the home side and have a reputation to uphold. Whoever goes out onto the pitch will give it their all," he urged.
