Paul Ince under pressure at Reading just one month after Sunderland confrontation

Reading drew 1-1 with Hull City in the league last time out with The Royals having slipped to 18th in the Championship. Ince’s side, however, are nine points clear of the relegation zone but lost four on the spin before the game against The Tigers.

That run of results has left Ince under pressure just months after a spat with BBC reporter Jeff Brown at the Stadium of Light following Reading’s loss to Sunderland in February.

“When it's an international break, the most important thing is to not get beaten [in the game just before] because if you lose, it takes you two weeks to get over it so that was the most important thing," added Ince following this side’s draw against Hull City.

"It would have been a nice three points against Hull but it's another point to where we want to get to. There are other teams around us getting beaten but we're picking up points.

"It wasn't the greatest game we played, but it's not about that. It's now about collating points, it's not about playing beautiful football or this or that.

"Joe [Lumley] is getting booed because we're not going straight up the park (in the second half versus Hull) but if he can't kick it, he can't kick it. The worst thing that could have happened to the club was to lose the game, that's what we have got to understand."