Harris | We adapted very well
The Bluebirds battled to a 1-1 draw with Reading under the Friday night lights, with Callum Paterson’s second-half equaliser cancelling out Yakou Méïté’s opener.
READING REACTION | HARRIS
Following the match, City manager Neil Harris spoke to the press and media, offering his thoughts on the fixture.
He began, “I thought we were the only team that deserved to win it, so I’m extremely disappointed to only have a point. The atmosphere tonight was good, certainly in the second half when we got on the front foot and played well, our supporters got behind us.
“Even when we went behind, I thought we could come back and win the game. We changed things in the second half, and I was really pleased with the lads and how they adapted. It really got us on the front foot, and we forced the ball into a lot of good areas.”
Faced with a 3-5-2 formation, the boss made two half-time substitutions, and explained the decisions he took in order to get the Bluebirds back into the game.
“Reading changed their shape, which was a bit of a surprise. Even in the first half, they only had three shots, so it was disappointing to be behind at half-time. But we had to adapt, and we made those adjustment to our shape.
“That allowed us to get a higher press, and with two out-and-out strikers to run the channels we caused some more problems. In the second half we built periods of pressure, got into some really good areas, and we were unfortunate not to win it.”
The Royals return to Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday evening for an FA Cup Fourth Round Replay, with Harris looking ahead to what February has to bring for the Bluebirds.
“Four points from a possible six is an okay return, but we’d loved to have had six. We’ve had a tough run of fixtures over the last six weeks, both in terms of schedule and opponents. Now, we’ve got a run of fixtures coming up which we need to win, if we’re going to have a chance of the play-offs.”
Harris concluded, “Tuesday presents an opportunity for other players, especially for those who didn’t start tonight. Some of those lads need a chance to play, and they’ll have a chance to get minutes. It’s an opportunity to freshen up on Tuesday.”
