McDermott relieved after late leveller

Brian McDermott admitted it was vital Reading snatched a 1-1 draw from the jaws of defeat on their Barclays Premier League return against Stoke on Saturday.

The Royals looked destined for a 1-0 loss at the Madejski Stadium before Adam Le Fondre's last-minute penalty rescued a point.

With trips to Chelsea and Sunderland next up before the international break, McDermott was delighted to avoid the prospect of going into the next home game in a month's time yet to get off the mark. "It's a strange thing to say but, psychologically, it's important that we got that result today," he said.

Copyright (c) PA Sport 2012, All Rights Reserved.