Graeme Murty's classy message to defeated Reading players as Sunderland advance to Premier League 2 final
The former Reading hero was full of praise for his old club’s youth side after losing to Sunderland
Sunderland coach Graeme Murty has shown his class with an encouraging message to Reading’s youth side after Monday night’s superb Premier League 2 play-off semi-final clash.
Sunderland’s under-21s side came from behind to claim a dramatic 4-3 win over Reading after extra-time. Trey Ogunsuyi scored a last-gasp winner in the 120th minute when the game appeared to be heading to penalties at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
That goal sent Murty’s side through to the final of Premier League 2 at the expense of the former player’s old club Reading. Sunderland will face Tottenham next in the last game of the season.
Sunderland captain Ellis Taylor bagged his hat-trick in the 99th minute to take the game to extra-time, following quickfire goals from Reading duo Adrian Akande and Matthew Carson which had put the hosts ahead from 2-1 down.
Jacob Borgnis was also sent off for the hosts in extra-time, with Sunderland eventually making the extra man count. Murty, though, was full of praise for the opposition team and stated, “ I take my hat off to them,” after the topsy-turvy game had come to an end.
“I thought it was the least that the lads deserved for 65 minutes of the performance,” Murty told the club’s media channels after the win. “And then in extra time it gets a little bit skewed because they're sending off, but I've got to take my heart to Reading.
“I thought that when we handled the 10 minutes of the second half, I thought that we were going to accelerate away from them, but they're relentless and they're physically intense and they're imposing and they're very, very good at what they do.
“Some really good players and our fellas have been in the test and they'll be challenged in terms of their belief, they'll be challenged in terms of how they performed against that type of game, but as a learning experience for them to stand up to it again, for them to show the resilience required to dig out a result when maybe our A game didn't work was outstanding. I take my hat off to them. I have nothing but praise for them today,” Murty said.
Murty joined Reading on a four-year contract in 1998 for a £700,000 fee, which at the time was the highest fee paid by Reading. The Saltburn-born player would make 339 appearances for The Royals and played for the club in the top three tiers of English football, including the Premier League.
“I felt actually for the Reading players, Murt added. “You could see it was just too much for them at the end, too much for them to take, but although I feel sympathy for them, once again I have to give praise to our lads for continuing to go, continuing to do things in the right way because I thought we still moved the ball really well.
“We still shifted the ball with good shape and structure and understanding and the lads have got a final to look forward to and no one I don't think at the start of the season would have foreseen that outcome but they like proving people wrong and they like challenges. They seem to like to make it really hard for themselves but I can't do anything other than praise the spirit that they showed today.”