Reading 1-2 Hull: Brain McDermott and Steve Bruce reaction
Wednesday 20 April 2016 00:01, UK
Hull manager Steve Bruce has not given up all hope of automatic promotion but concedes there needs to be an 'almighty collapse' from the leading sides for them to break into the top two now.
The Tigers assured themselves of a Sky Bet Championship play-off place at the very least after fighting back from an early deficit to claim a scrappy 2-1 victory at struggling Reading.
However, third-placed Brighton also won on Tuesday night and, while top two Middlesbrough and Burnley shared the spoils in their clash at Turf Moor, Hull are still eight points adrift of the automatic places.
Bruce admits the play-offs now look the most likely route back into the Premier League this season, but is not ready to completely write off their top-two chances just yet.
He said: "We're still eight points adrift and unless there's an almighty collapse by those above us, which you cling to, then we won't go straight up.
"As I said from the off, we've got no divine right to do that. But we've got ourselves in the play-offs and we'll be a match for anybody. If that's got to be our route, then we'll have to accept that and get on with it.
"Even if you're the greatest team, sometimes at the wrong time you can lose a bit of form - like the mighty Barcelona. That's football."
He added of Tuesday's performance: "We got off to a horrible start tonight but the response was good. Overall, the game could have gone either way.
"It was a typical Championship match but it's gone our way. It was a much better performance from us."
Hull fell behind in only the fourth minute, when static defending allowed Reading centre-back Jake Cooper to nod powerfully home from Oliver Norwood's free-kick.
But they were back level in the 18th minute, Tom Huddlestone releasing Abel Hernandez for the Uruguay striker to slot home his 19th goal of the season.
Reading thought that they had been awarded a penalty in the 58th minute when referee Fred Graham pointed to the spot after Harry Maguire appeared to have fouled Deniss Rakels.
But Graham, after taking advice from an assistant, changed his mind and gave a corner instead.
Reading's sense of injustice was further aggravated when Hull left-back Andy Robertson drove in a low cross-shot to grab the winner in the 79th minute.
It was a fourth successive defeat for Reading and came in front of a crowd of 12,949, their lowest league attendance of the season.
"We've got no points again," Reading manager Brian McDermott said. "It's a horrible run at the moment. I can't believe we haven't got anything out of the last four games.
"That was a big decision to be made with the penalty. The referee's given it but the linesman hasn't. That was a tough one to take. If we'd gone 2-1 up then, it might have been a different game.
"We have to learn to win games 1-0, especially in this league. When we go in front, we need to keep the lead.
"We haven't got that winning feeling here, we haven't had that for a couple of years now, and in the summer we need to get that back.
"You don't want to have crowds this low at the Madejski Stadium. But we are where we are now and have to build a squad that is capable of being in the top six of this division."
