Saturday 21 November 2015 21:52, UK
Reading manager Steve Clarke praised the club's fans for not overreacting against him as his team defeated Bolton 2-1.
Clarke held talks with Fulham during the week about possibly succeeding the sacked Kit Symons but eventually decided to stay at the Madejski Stadium. The defeat of Bolton was Reading's first win in six matches.
"It was always going to be a little bit strange for me today," Clarke admitted. "But I've got to say that the crowd got it quite right.
"The reception was cool but nothing more than that. And they got right behind the team, which is all we ask for. I don't think it [the Fulham talks] had any effect on the players.
"The result was good in the context of our season. We're desperate to stay in and around the upper levels of the league and challenge for promotion.
"It was a big win for us after five games without a win. It was really important to us today."
Reading went ahead in the 28th minute. Lucas Piazon blocked an attempted clearance by Prince-Desir Gouano, chased the loose ball and dinked it past goalkeeper Ben Amos.
Amos could then do little when Danny Williams lashed home a 20-yard drive in the 34th minute.
Bolton reduced the gap with 10 minutes left. Norwood tripped Pratley in the area and Liam Feeney thumped home the spot kick.
It was Bolton's first goal in 408 minutes but they could not create an equaliser and slipped to the bottom of the table.
"We could have been three goals up before we shot ourselves in the foot," Neil Lennon, the Bolton manager, said. "Al Habsi's made three very good saves.
"The goals we conceded, we just gave them to Reading. They didn't have to work hard for either goal. The first one was schoolboy stuff from our point of view.
"We didn't look like a team at the bottom of the league but I've been saying that for quite a while now.
"But I've got to take positives from the defeat. There was a lot of good things that we did.
"We just need a bit of mental strength at both ends of the pitch, which is lacking at the moment."
