Monday 28 December 2015 21:00, UK
Brentford head coach Dean Smith praised Ryan Woods and Sergi Canos for their spectacular goals that sunk Reading 2-1 in the Sky Bet Championship.
"I thought all three goals in the game were of real quality," Smith said. "It was a great strike from Ryan and I think Sergi tried to top him with that one.
"They were really good finishes and we needed them against a very good team. We've been talking in recent weeks about Ryan's finishing, about him hitting the target more. But did I expect it? No.
"But I welcomed it because I thought we were second best in the first half. Reading were the better team and we had to manfully defend."
Brentford opened quietly, with Reading making most of the early running. Nick Blackman sent a 30-yard free-kick inches over the crossbar and goalkeeper David Button saved well from Hal Robson-Kanu.
But Brentford went ahead in the 17th minute when Woods was allowed space on the edge of the home area to lash in a fierce shot for his first goal of the season.
They could have stretched their lead before the break, but Alan Judge shot weakly at home keeper Jonathan Bond and John Swift nodded over from a Judge cross.
Reading should have been level early in the second period, but Matej Vydra, a half-time substitute, nodded Stephen Quinn's cross into the ground - from where it bounced up on to the bar - instead of into the net.
But Reading did equalise in the 58th minute when Vydra slipped in a neat pass for McCleary, another interval sub, to finish coolly.
Brentford responded spiritedly, with Canos securing victory 18 minutes from the end with a rasping left-footed shot after cutting in from the right flank.
Reading's misery was complete in the 87th minute when centre back Michael Hector, having been booked earlier, was sent off for diving when trying to win a penalty.
The defeat was the Royals' sixth in seven matches and second time in three games since Brian McDermott returned as manager.
"They were quality goals from Brentford but, no, that doesn't soften the blow," McDermott said. "The first one came out of nothing. They hadn't really had a shot, then they scored.
"But when we got ourselves back into it, I thought we were going to go on to win the game. Then they scored a quality second goal as well.
"The year 2015 wasn't great for Reading, though we got to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. But we want 2016 to be a lot better."
On Hector's dismissal, McDermott said: "The referee (Keith Stroud) said he dived, so if he says he dived, there you go. That's his opinion. It's two yellows."
