Reading boss Nigel Adkins optimistic about the future

Nigel Adkins: Confident a brighter future lies ahead for Reading

igel Adkins believes there were signs in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City that Reading have plenty to be positive about.

The Royals took in their final home game of the 2012/13 campaign on Tuesday knowing that their stay among the Premier League elite is to come to an end after just one season.

They were, however, able to frustrate the high-flying Blues for long periods at the Madejski Stadium - in their first game since parting company with Roberto Mancini - while offering an attacking threat of their own.

Adkins hopes they can maintain that performance level heading forward, as they prepare for life back in the Championship.

He told Sky Sports: "We played against an exceptionally good team that play the ball very well.

"They are obviously hurting at this moment in time as well, but I thought their attitude was bang on from a players' point of view. They are good in possession of the football.

"But I must say, although we maybe stuffed them a little bit in the first half - that's maybe down to the quality of their players - we want to evolve into a team that can control longer periods of possession of the football.

"There are still a lot of positives we will take from this. The two goals could have been against anybody, they are things that we have got to avoid and could have avoided. Alex (McCarthy) has played very well in goal and we'll take a lot of positives from it for where we're going in the future."